Pokémon - Kanto Journey
by Carner
Summary: 16-year old Mike Redwood has finally passed his finals at the Viridian trainer school, allowing him to set off on his long-awaited Pokémon journey! His goal is to win the Kanto League tournament. On the way, he'll meet new friends and challenge new rivals. Join him and his friends as they travel through the region of Kanto, all with their own destination in mind.
1. Chapter 1: School Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Welcome and thank you for taking the time to look at this story! If you're wondering what it is about, then let me tell you. Have you ever imagined a region where an evil team isn't as important in the protagonist's story? Have you ever wondered what a journey of an average trainer like that would be like? This fanfic tells the story of Mike Redwood, an aspiring trainer from Pallet Town that wants to become the Kanto League Champion. A dream like most of the aspiring trainers have. Will he be able to make it a reality? Stick around, and you might find out...**

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School  
20 June 2008, 4:02 PM_

"And don't forget, everyone!" The teacher didn't actually think they'd forget something as important as that. "Tomorrow's the day of your finals! I'm sure all of you can make it! Class dismissed!"

The twelve kids in his class all stood up and made their way to the door. Mr. DeNigro couldn't help but feel bad. Every year he'd give the so-called peptalk, but never before had even half of the class graduated. It wasn't really surprising, though. In order to become a Pokémon trainer, the students needed to be fully ready.

"Um... Mr. DeNigro?" a soft voice called out to him.

The teacher snapped out of his thoughts and faced his student. "What can I do for you, miss Willard?"

Nathalie Willard was the top student in the class. If someone were to ask Mr. DeNigro which student would be the most likely to graduate, he'd say Nathalie without a doubt. Not only was she the smartest student in class, she also was great around the class's Pokémon.

"I have one final question before the exams will start..." she said. To Mr. DeNigro's surprise, the girl seemed to be embarrassed with what she wanted to ask. It would certainly not be her first time to ask Mr. DeNigro a question or two after class ended.

"Please do ask," Mr. DeNigro told the student, putting up his usual smile.

"It's about a trainer's career..." she mumbled "Is...is it weird for a trainer to not want to challenge the gyms and eventually the League?"

Mr. DeNigro was taken aback. Not because of the question itself, but about the person that asked it. He had received this question dozens of times before, but mostly the students that weren't ready to become a trainer were the ones to ask this. "Quite an interesting question you asked there, miss Willard," Mr. DeNigro said, leaning back in his chair, "There are a variety of careers a trainer can pursue. Most of them take on a journey to collect badges and participate in the League tournament, true. Some trainers also find a job as a gym trainer or even leader. All nurses and doctors in Pokémon centers are nurses. Officers are trainers. And there are many more possibilities, like coordinators or breeders. Do you see that there's more besides just training?"

Nathalie softly nodded. "It's a lot to process..." she sighed, apparently dumbstruck, "But I'll manage. Thank you, Mr. DeNigro."

Mr. DeNigro smiled at the student as she left the classroom. He then looked out of the window and fiddled with his tie. "Or you could stay and become a teacher here," he muttered to himself.

* * *

 _Viridian City  
20 June 2008, 4:20 PM_

"What's keeping Nathalie?" a tall brown-blonde haired girl wondered. She had quite short hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a white shirt with a Poké Ball logo on it. She also wore light blue jeans. Her build was quite athletic, although she was more to the skinny than to the chubby side. She stood outside of the school building together with four other kids.

"You know her, Tessa. She's probably with Mr. DeNigro again, buttering him up for the exam tomorrow," a blonde boy with middle long hair and blue eyes shrugged. He was quite tall, but still not as tall as the girl. He wore a black-and-white shirt and gray jeans. He was really athletically built. Being 17 and turning 18 later that year, he was exactly one year older than the others.

The shortest boy of the group briefly laughed, but the girl named Tessa shot him a dirty look. It was enough to shut him up. She then proceeded to turn her gaze to the older boy. "Christopher," she said in a low and dark tone, "You know how much I appreciate you talking smack about our friends."

Christopher opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again, as if he realized he didn't want to say anything after all. Even he knew better than to make Tessa angry.

The third boy in the group cracked a small smile. It wasn't the first time he saw those two fight over something really trivial. "I swear, sometimes you two sound like a married couple," he grinned. This boy was smaller than Tessa and Christopher, but still taller than the two other members of the group. He wore a blue-and-white shirt, and light brown shorts. His eyes had a dark brown color, just like his hair. He wasn't really muscular or athletic, neither was he fat or skinny. His build was somewhere in between.

Tessa and Christopher, who had been facing each other, quickly turned their faces away from each other, blushing furiously. "Mike, I already told you to stop shipping us!" Tessa snapped at him.

"I agree with Mike," the second girl nodded, pushing up her glasses. She was the second shortest of the group. Her hair was red and middle long, and her eyes were dark brown. She wore a red dress with white dots scattered all over it. She was rather skinny. Freckles were to be found all over her face.

"Oh, come on, Jane!" Christopher cried out, "You too?"

A sly grin came over Jane's face. "Sorry, Chris. The truth has to come out eventually."

"It would be a cool pair, though," the shortest of the group, a chubby boy, sniggered, "With Tess ordering Chris around the whole time and all." He wore a purple shirt and gray jeans. There was a red-and-white cap with a Poké Ball logo on his head. Like the shorter girl, his hair was red, but his was short. Mirroring the smaller girl, freckles were also scattered all over his face. His eyes were dark brown.

"Josh, you make me sound like a tyrant or something!" Tessa cried out.

"Well, aren't you?" Christopher said, shrugging.

"Argh!" Tessa launched herself at Christopher, smacking him.

"Ow, ow!" Christopher screamed, "Not my stomaAAAAH!"

Mike grinned at Jane. "The perfect couple." Both of them starting laughing, but because of that, Mike didn't notice Christopher tackling him to the ground. Tessa did the same with Jane. Josh had a difficult time not bursting out in laughter, seeing Christopher hold Mike against the ground, and Tessa wrestling with Jane while the latter screamed at Tessa to watch out for her glasses.

"Hey guys! Thanks for waiti-" Nathalie, who had just left the school building, looked at the five others. "Did someone ship Tess and Chris again?" Her long blonde hair was tied up in a perfect ponytail. Her eyes had a light blue color. She wore a blue-and-white shirt, and a skirt of the same color.

Four fingers pointed at Mike, the latter grinning uncontrollably despite of Christopher sitting on his back. "I just couldn't resist."

Nathalie let out a small laugh. "Classic."

"But seriously, guys," Christopher said, getting up, "I need to get going to Pewter City. I have to prepare for the finals tomorrow."

"Same, to be honest," Tessa replied, dusting off her pants, "I mean, from tomorrow onwards, all of us could be Pokémon trainers! How cool is that?"

"Pretty cool," Josh nodded, "But all of us need to pass for that to happen."

"Don't talk like that, little bro!" Jane shouted at him.

"Don't call me 'little bro'!" Josh shouted back, "I'm only two minutes younger than you!"

"There won't be a problem if all of us study enough," Mike quickly interrupted.

"Yeah," Nathalie agreed, "So I propose that all of us head home for now." The others all nodded at her statement.

"Well, my parents are waiting for me at the edge of Viridian Forest," Christopher said, "See all of you tomorrow!"

Mike, Tessa, Nathalie, Josh and Jane all went their separate ways as well. While the latter four lived in Viridian City, Mike had to travel through Route 1 to get to his home, Pallet Town. It wasn't that hard of a trip, since Route 1 wasn't that big, and Mike was used to traversing it. As soon as he got home, he bolted to his room upstairs, dashing past his parents.

"Mike!" his mother, Sandra, called out to him, "Dinner's ready!"

"No time, mom!" Mike shouted, "I have to prepare for my finals!"

"That boy's the joy of my life," Mike's father, Mason, smiled, "He reminds me of when I was a trainer."

"I just can't help but to worry about him though, dear," Sandra sighed.

"He'll be okay," Mason assured her, "He has the blood of two talented trainers running through his veins after all!" he added, cracking a huge grin.

"Don't be silly, dear!" Sandra protested, but she was grinning as well nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Mike was lying on his bed, looking at the prototype Pokédex Mr. DeNigro had given all of them. The data of six Pokémon was included in it. They were the Pokémon that would be used for the battling exam tomorrow. But since the students didn't get to pick which Pokémon they would use, they had to carefully study all the six Pokémon. He decided to look at the data for the first Pokémon, which was one he knew all too well.

 _"Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. Eevee has an unstable genetic makeup that suddenly mutates due to the environment in which it lives. Radiation from various stones causes this Pokémon to evolve. Eevee's moves are Quick Attack, Tail Whip and Bite, and its ability is Adaptability."_

If there was one Pokémon the kids talked a lot about in school, it was Eevee. That was thanks to it having no less than eight evolutions. Mike hadn't heard a lot of the ability Adaptability before, though, so he went to look it up. Apparently, Adaptability boosted the power of moves that were of the same type as the Pokémon that used it. Interesting. That would mean that Quick Attack would be more powerful. Tabbing away from Eevee's Pokédex page, Mike decided to look up on the next Pokémon, which was yellow-and-red colored, and had quite a weird face.

 _"Magby, the live coal Pokémon. Magby's state of health is determined by observing the fire it breathes. If the Pokémon is spouting yellow flames from its mouth, it is in good health. When it is fatigued, black smoke will be mixed in with the flames. Magby's moves are Ember, Smokescreen and Headbutt, and its ability is Flame Body."_

Magby seemed like a handful if you would have to face it, and a handful to control if you would have to battle with it. Mike already knew of the effects of Flame Body. A Pokémon could get the status condition burn if they made contact with Magby. In the next tab, he saw a Pokémon he knew all too well.

 _"Mankey, the pig monkey Pokémon. When Mankey starts shaking and its nasal breathing turns rough, it's a sure sign that it is becoming angry. However, because it goes into a towering rage almost instantly, it is impossible for anyone to flee its wrath. Mankey's moves are Karate Chop, Leer and Scratch, and its ability is Defiant."_

A few months ago, a Mankey from Route 22 stumbled into the school building by accident. It went on a rampage in the school, until Mr. DeNigro managed to catch it. Mankey's ability was one Mike had never heard of before. After looking it up, he saw that Defiant boosted a Pokémon's attack power if one of its stats got lowered. Mike realized that the Pokémon so far seemed pretty powerful, and so he went to look to the next Pokémon to see whether it would be just as cool as the previous ones. He was a little disappointed.

 _"Nidoran F, the poison pin Pokémon. Nidoran F has barbs that secrete a powerful poison. They are thought to have developed as protection for this small-bodied Pokémon. When enraged, it releases a horrible toxin from its horn. Nidoran F's moves are Poison Sting, Tail Whip and Scratch, and its ability is Poison Point."_

Except for the ability, Mike wasn't particularly impressed by the Poison-type Pokémon. Poison Point enabled Nidoran to poison the foe if it made contact with her, but there weren't a lot of other assets he could think of. He secretly hoped that he wouldn't have to battle with Nidoran. Hoping the next Pokémon would be more interesting, he tabbed further.

 _"Elekid, the electric Pokémon. Elekid stores electricity in its body. If it touches metal and accidentally discharges all its built-up electricity, this Pokémon begins swinging its arms in circles to recharge itself. Elekid's moves are Thunder Shock, Leer and Quick Attack, and its ability is Static."_

In his opinion, this was the coolest Pokémon so far. Mike knew that Static was a counterpart to Flame Body and Poison Point, enabling Elekid to paralyze an opponent if they were to make contact with it. Mike couldn't take his eyes off this Pokémon. He had to catch one of these as soon as he started his journey. He then proceeded to look at the last of the practice Pokémon.

 _"Sandshrew, the mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert. This Pokémon curls up to protect itself from its enemies. Sandshrew's moves are Sand Tomb, Defense Curl and Scratch, and its ability is Sand Rush."_

Mike hadn't hear a lot about Sand Rush before. Apparently, it boosted Sandshrew's speed when there was a sandstorm. This meant that Sandshrew's ability would be the only one to not be usable in the practice battles. Looking at its bio and moves, Sandshrew seemed to be the most defensive of all the rental Pokémon. Mike wasn't sure whether he wanted this one as his practice Pokémon. The Ground-type seemed like a lot to handle.

"Mike, are you coming?" he suddenly heard his mother call from downstairs, "Dinner's ready!"

Snapping back to reality, he ran downstairs, shouting he'd be right there. It was going to be a long night, so he needed at least some energy to get through it.

* * *

 _Viridian City  
21 June 2015, 8:20 AM_

Mike yawned as he stood outside of the school building. He had woken up at 6 due to sheer eagerness, and that led to him being really tired.

Tessa suppressed a yawn. "What's keeping Jane and Josh? They should have been here already..."

Christopher shrugged. "Maybe they overslept."

"Not possible," Nathalie piped up, shaking her head, "Neither one of them would be late on a day like this."

Christopher cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have a better theory then?" Nathalie averted her gaze. "That's what I thought," Christopher continued.

"Stop it, Chris," Mike interrupted, "I'm sure there's a very good reason."

"Yeah, sure," Christopher replied, rolling his eyes.

"There actually is," a voice behind them said. They turned around to see Josh and a sleepy Jane walk up to them. "Jane here thought it was a good idea to study all night," Josh continued, "Waking her up was just impossible."

Jane blushed. "Sorry, guys."

"It's okay," Tessa chimed, "At least we're all here now!"

"Yeah!" Mike added, "We should get going no-" He was interrupted by another kid smacking his shoulder against him.

"Oops," the boy grinned, "Sorry, Mike! Better look where you're going next time!"

"Mark," Mike grumbled. There was only one person in class Mike absolutely couldn't stand, and that was Mark. He was a tall 16-year old, with short blonde hair and brown eyes. Much to Mike's annoyance, the boy was more muscular than him. He wore a brown-and-yellow shirt, and a pair of gray jeans.

"You guys should get a move on," Mark told them smugly, "All the others are already inside. Mr. DeNigro asked for someone to come and get you, and I humbly accepted the task."

Mike gritted his teeth, but it was Christopher who responded. "Tell DeNigro we'll be there in a moment," he said coolly.

Mark, expecting someone to snap at his smug behavior, went inside again after shooting Christopher a hateful look.

Mike watched him walk away. "I swear, if he becomes a trainer..."

"Calm down," Nathalie told him, "He wouldn't make it to the League anyway."

"Guys," Josh said in alarm, "We really gotta go now, or else we'll be late!"

All of them nodded, and followed Josh into the school building.

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School  
21 June 2008, 12:42 PM_

"I hope that went well," Mike sighed, "It felt right while I was writing, but now I'm less confident."

"Same here," Tessa said, nodding, "I really hope it'll go well. Naming all different types in question 1 wasn't a problem, but I couldn't find an example of all of those types in question 2."

"Me neither," Jane continued, "I couldn't find an example of a Steel- or Dark-type."

"I missed the Dark-type too," Christopher said with a shrug, as usual.

"And I couldn't find a Fairy- or Dark-type," Mike mumbled.

"Seems like we all had problems with the Dark-type Pokémon," Tessa grinned, "I managed to find all the others, though."

"I stayed blank at Dark, Steel and Ghost," Josh pouted.

"Oh, I got all of them," Nathalie said, "Fairy has Pokémon like Clefairy or Sylveon, Dragon has Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite and Kingdra, Steel has Magnemite, Magneton, Magnezone, Scizor and Steelix, Ghost has Gastly, Haunter and Gengar, and Dark only has Umbreon." Everyone looked at her, their mouths wide open. "What? I studied thoroughly."

"That's not just thoroughly, that's... What's the word I'm looking for?" Josh looked around, trying to find someone to help him, "Whatever, you get the point!"

"At least she studied enough, bro," Jane told him. Josh looked embarrassed.

"Josh, you don't mean you didn't study a lot for the test, do you?" Tessa asked him.

"Maybe," Josh said unsure, scratching the back of his head.

Christopher and Jane shook their heads, while the others looked at Josh in shock.

"What?" Josh asked, "It can't be that bad, right? Right?" No one responded.

"Uh, anyway," Mike broke the silence, "Mr. DeNigro should have our grades soon. If we pass that, we'll be close to becoming trainers!"

"We still have to pass the practice exam, though," Nathalie pointed out, "I'd like to battle with Sandshrew or Magby. They seem the most interesting to me."

"Definitely Elekid for me," Christopher replied.

"You should back off from that idea, because I'm going to get Elekid!" Mike grinned.

"I don't know," Jane continued, "Eevee, I guess? Or maybe Magby?"

"I'd like Mankey, Elekid or Magby myself," Josh mused.

"And for me it doesn't really matter," Tessa grinned, "They all seem pretty cool to me. Well, except for Mankey. That incident still sticks with me." The others nodded in response.

"Looks like nobody wants that Nidoran," Mike said, "Poor Nidoran."

"Since when am I a nobody?" Tessa cried out.

Mike held up his hands in defense. "I meant that nobody wanted Nidoran in particular!"

"It's done! It's done!" a girl from their class, Layla, ran up to the group, "Mr. DeNigro has finished correcting the exams!"

"What?" Mike, Tessa, Nathalie, Jane and Josh all jumped up. Only Christopher managed to keep his cool.

"When is he going to reveal the results?" Christopher asked.

"As soon as everyone's present!" Layla exclaimed, "Barry is looking for Mark at the moment, but all the others are there already!"

"What are we waiting for?" Tessa cried, "Let's just go already!"

When the group and Layla arrived in the classroom, they saw that Mark and Barry had already arrived.

"Took you guys long enough, as expected," Mark told them.

Mike took a step towards him, but Christopher dragged him away. "Leave him be. He's not worth it." Mike reluctantly followed Christopher's advice.

Layla went to sit in the empty chair next to Barry. Jane took the seat next to her, followed by Josh, Mike, Christopher, Tessa and Nathalie.

Mr. DeNigro cleared his throat, seeing that all students had arrived. "Now that everyone's here, I'd like to get on with the results from the exam. The students that passed will be called forward in order. The people with the best results will be the first ones to be called forward." He took a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself for his next sentence. "If any of you don't pass, don't feel bad. There's always next year."

"I don't think anyone's going to not feel bad if they wouldn't pass," Tessa whispered to Mike, at which the latter nodded.

"Without further ado!" Mr. DeNigro called out, "The first student I'd like to call forward, with a score of 98%, is Nathalie Willard!"

Nathalie's eyes sparkled when she got up. She proudly took her place next to Mr. DeNigro, smiling widely at her friends.

"Not really surprising," Josh muttered.

"The next student, with a percentage of 86%," Mr. DeNigro announced, "Christopher Walken!"

Christopher put up a smug smile, but Mike knew that deep inside, he was bursting with happiness. He hadn't passed the previous year after all. Tessa didn't seem happy with Christopher scoring better than her.

"Our third student, with a score of 83%, Jane Arlan!" Mr. DeNigro shouted as Christopher took his place next to him.

From the shock, Jane almost let her glasses fall off. She managed to grab them just as they were about to hit the floor, and clumsily made her way to Mr. DeNigro, Nathalie and Christopher. Mike saw Josh smirk at Jane's reaction.

"Our fourth student!" Mr. DeNigro announced, "With a score of 79%, Tessa Wainwright!"

Tessa got up really quickly, making her chair drop to the group in the process. She took her place next to the others. Mike got a little nervous, since he knew that the students needed 75% to pass, and they were already at 79%.

"Our fifth student to pass, with a score of 78%!" Mr. DeNigro called out, "Mark Vaughun!"

With a huge smile on his face, Mark coolly stood up and went to stand next to Mr. DeNigro, on the other side of where Nathalie, Christopher, Jane and Tessa were.

Mike let out a sigh. "And I was hoping he wouldn't get there."

"And now for our last student!" Mr. DeNigro announced.

Mike and Josh looked at each other in shock. One of them wouldn't pass. The other kids, including Layla and Barry, also looked around nervously.

"With a score of 77%!" Mr. DeNigro continued, "Mike Redwood!"

Releasing all built-up pressure, Mike stood up and cheered loudly. He then blushed, noticing everyone looked at him. "Sorry," he mumbled, making his way to stand next to Tessa. He looked at Josh, and saw that he hid his head in his hands. He felt really sorry for him, especially since his twin sister did pass. On the other hand, he probably didn't study enough, according to Jane.

"I want to congratulate these six students in particular!" Mr. DeNigro called out, "It's been years since even half of the class managed to pass the theoretic exam!" A half-hearted applause came from the audience. "I want to repeat to the students that didn't pass that this isn't the end. There's always next year. Now, I'd like the six passing students to accompany me to the training room. The rest can go home."

A collective sigh could be heard when the students that didn't pass got up from their chairs and left. Josh was the last one to leave the room. Just before leaving, he shot his five friends a look that said that they shouldn't even dare to fail now.

"I feel bad for Josh," Jane said, looking down, "But I'm afraid it's his own fault for not putting enough effort in studying."

"He knew the risk." Christopher seemed to be the least shocked by seeing one of his friends fail. "I failed the previous year as well because I didn't study enough. Now look at me, having 86%."

"Maybe that was because you got the classes twice, rather than relying on your own intelligence," Tessa grumbled. Despite Christopher beating her in score, she still had a big smile on her face.

Mr. DeNigro turned to the remaining students. "I want to congratulate all of you again. Your achievements are absolutely stellar. But don't rest easy just yet. I said before that it has been years since half of my class passed the theoretic exam. But it has never happened before that half of the class actually graduated."

All of the students gasped, except for Mark, who still had the smug smirk on his face, and Christopher, who probably already heard that the year before.

"Moreover, I won't be the only person to judge you in the battling exam," Mr. DeNigro continued, "I invited two more people as judges. Both are experts in Pokémon battling!"

"Now, now, Shawn," a voice said, "That might be exaggerated." They all turned around to see the most famous Pokémon professor in whole Kanto behind them. Professor Samuel Oak would be one of the judges. Mike wasn't as shocked to see him as Nathalie, Tessa and Jane were, since Oak lived in the same town as him. Not only that, but his parents were good friends with the professor as well, so Mike already knew him pretty well.

"I'm glad to see you passed this year, Christopher," Oak told the young man. For the first time, Christopher seemed stunned, probably because he didn't expect Oak to know or remember his name.

"Thank you, professor!" Christopher replied, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously.

"And I'm glad to see you two are standing here as well today!" Oak said to Mike and Mark, "It's been quite some time since a trainer from Pallet Town graduated here, so do your best!"

"Er-hem!" Mr. DeNigro cleared his throat.

"Oh, right," Oak sighed, as if he remembered something, "I'm not going to give either of you better evaluations because I know both of you. And-"

"Good!" Mr. DeNigro interrupted the professor, "We should go to the training room, where we'll meet up with the third judge. Let's go!"

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School, Training Room  
21 June 2008, 1:31 PM_

The first thing the trainers saw in the training room, were two big Pokémon battling each other. One was a bipedal Pokémon looked slightly human-like, but its body was black-and-yellow colored and it had two tails. The second Pokémon was quadruped and looked bulky. A massive flower sprouted on the Pokémon's back.

"Use Thunder Punch, Electivire!" they suddenly heard someone shout, "And you use Petal Blizzard, Venusaur!"

The bigger Pokémon, Venusaur, let out a loud roar and fired a wave of sharp green-colored leaves at the other Pokémon, Electivire. However, the latter jumped up just in time, dodging the Petal Blizzard, and landed in front of Venusaur. It cloaked its fist in electricity, and punched Venusaur in the face with it. The Grass-type grunted as it was pushed back by the powerful attack, but still seemed to be in pretty good condition.

"Alright, that's enough, Electivire!" the voice shouted, "You too, Venusaur!" Both Pokémon roared contently as they were recalled to their Poké Balls. A young man stepped out from the shadows in the training grounds.

"You can't be serious," Nathalie murmured, gritting her teeth.

"Please welcome our third judge, the winner of 2005's Kanto Pokémon League tournament!" Mr. DeNigro exclaimed, "Bryce Willard!"

"A pleasure to be here," Bryce smiled as he was introduced to the students. He was a tall young man, and looked pretty muscular as well. His hair was blonde and his eyes were light blue, mirroring Nathalie's. He wore a bland white shirt and khaki green shorts.

"You never told us your brother had won the League tournament," Christopher remarked, breaking the silence.

"Maybe I chose to not tell anyone," Nathalie grumbled, looking at her brother. Mike didn't get why she seemed so angry at him. He looked pretty friendly.

"I hope Electivire and Venusaur have left the battlefields more or less intact," Bryce told Mr. DeNigro and Oak, "They sometimes get carried away when they're battling."

"It seems like our practice fields are still unharmed for the most part, though," Mr. DeNigro said, "It's okay, Bryce. I told you that you were allowed to train here in the meantime."

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. DeNigro," Bryce replied.

"Please," Mr. DeNigro smiled, "Call me Shawn." He then turned his attention to the six students. "This is the perfect amount of students. Six of you, six of the Pokémon." He took six Poké Balls out of his pocket, presenting them to the students. "You all know that these Poké Balls contain Eevee, Nidoran, Mankey, Sandshrew, Elekid and Magby, but you don't know which Poké Ball contains which Pokémon. So, I'll let you pick a Poké Ball one after another, and then I'll announce the matchups." He laid the Poké Balls down on the table. "Before we start, I already want to wish all of you good luck."

"Likewise!" Bryce chimed in.

"And good luck from me too," professor Oak smiled, "I hope some promising trainers will graduate today!"

* * *

 **And with that, chapter 1 of Pokémon - Kanto Journey has been finished! I'm sorry for not revealing starter Pokémon or anything yet. Looks like you'll have to wait for the next chapter if you want to see that.**

 **If you want to know about other things, like my policy regarding OCs or why Pokémon like Elekid or Umbreon are in Kanto's regional Pokédex, you can look at my profile page.**

 **One last and important thing. A huge thanks to Talarc and his 'Pokémon Journey: Kanto' fanfiction. He has been a great inspiration for me. Thank you, Talarc!**

 **And thank you, the reader, for taking the time to read through the first chapter, and have a good day!**


	2. Chapter 2: Graduation Trouble!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

 **Hello, dear readers! This is Carner speaking (writing?), and bringing you chapter 2 of Pokémon - Kanto Journey. A quick recap of the previous chapter: Mike and his friends Nathalie, Christopher, Tessa, Jane and Josh prepared for their graduation exam in Viridian City's Trainer School. They all passed the test, except for Josh. Mike's 'best friend' Mark also passed.**

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School, Training Room  
21 June 2008, 1:56 PM_

Mr. DeNigro, professor Oak and Bryce had placed a table next to the training grounds. All three of them sat at the tables, with the six Poké Balls in their enlarged form in front of them.

"I'm starting to get really nervous now!" Nathalie shivered, "I know I did well in my theoretic exam, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull this off!"

"I know how you're feeling, Nathalie," Tessa sighed, "I guess we have to hope for the best now."

"Nah," Christopher grinned, "We'll make it the best."

"Christopher's right," Mike added, "There's nobody that's going to do it for us. We'll have to succeed ourselves."

"Let's just see which Pokémon we'll get partnered with, okay?" Jane said, "We'll see then."

Tessa nodded. "But let's all do our best anyway!"

"Ahem!" Mr. DeNigro announced, "Time to begin! I'll let the student that had the highest grades on her theoretic exam go first! Miss Willard, please step forward and pick a Pokémon!"

Nathalie smiled unsurely at her friends, before walking over to the table. She thought for a moment, but then picked the second Poké Ball on the right.

"You may release the Pokémon inside, miss Willard," Mr. DeNigro told her.

"Okay... Come on out!" Nathalie cried out, releasing the Pokémon inside. The Pokémon that materialized in front of Nathalie was not the Pokémon she hoped to have.

"Maaaan!" Mankey cried, waving its arms in the air. The Fighting-type looked at its surroundings, apparently disoriented.

"For the next person to step forward-" Mr. DeNigro started.

"Maaan!" Mankey interrupted him. This cry somehow seemed different from its previous one. It almost sounded like a battle cry. "Maaaaaan!" Mankey roared again, and without a warning, it used Karate Chop on the table, which collapsed. Oak, Mr. DeNigro and Bryce all fell to the ground.

That could have been funny, if it wasn't for all the Poké Balls that rolled over the ground. To make matters worse, all Pokémon appeared out of them.

"Nidooooh!"

"Veeee!"

"Eleee!"

"Maaaag!"

"Saaand!" the released Pokémon cried.

Mankey exited the room in his frenzy, and the other Pokémon quickly followed him. It all happened so quickly that nobody had the chance to pick up any of the Poké Balls and recall the Pokémon.

"This is a disaster!" Mr. DeNigro screamed, "All of you!" he pointed at the students, "Go look for the Pokémon! Quickly!"

They all nodded, and were about to leave as Oak called out to them. "Wait!" He ran over to them, and handed over small red devices. "These are Pokédexes, but I'm sure you already know that! If you come across wild Pokémon on the way, you might want to scan them with your Pokédex so that you know what to do with them!"

"Will do, professor!" Christopher quickly took a Pokédex and bolted, without waiting for his friends.

"Can't let him beat me!" Mark seemed to be the only person in the room that was still grinning. He rapidly followed Christopher outside.

The others were left in the dust. "We have to get going!" Tessa shouted.

"I know, but we can't just go alone, can we?" Jane yelled back, "I'm not really comfortable doing that!"

"We'll have to split up anyway!" Nathalie interrupted them, "Tess, Jane, you two take Route 2! Mike and I will go to Route 22!"

"What about Route 1?" Mike asked.

"The Pokémon can't get away if they go to Route 1!" Nathalie impatiently answered, "The only place they can go to is Pallet Town!"

"Oh, right," Mike sighed.

"Seriously, guys!" Tessa screamed, "We really have to go now!"

"Right!" all of them nodded, before heading out. Mike and Nathalie to Route 22, Tessa and Jane to Route 2.

* * *

 _Route 1  
21 June 2008, 2:08 PM_

Christopher cautiously walked through Route 1. He didn't know what to expect, so he was on his guard. Suddenly, he heard a cry not very far away from him.

"Maaaan!"

"That's definitely Mankey!" Christopher cried out as he ran in the direction the cry came from. When he reached the place, he saw that Mankey was cornered by a guy in a black costume. The costume had a big red 'R' splashed on it. Next to the man flew a bird Christopher recognized all too well. A Spearow.

"Team Rocket?!" Christopher cried, taking out his Pokédex, "You guys are still around?!"

 _"Spearow, the tiny bird Pokémon. Spearow has a very loud cry that can be heard over half a mile away. If its high, keening cry is heard echoing all around, it is a sign that they are warning each other of danger."_

The man briefly locked eyes with Christopher, before turning back to Mankey and Spearow. "We've been spotted! Spearow, knock out Mankey quickly, then we'll bail! Use Peck!"

"Speaaar!" Spearow flew at Mankey, its sharp beak pointed forward.

"Mankey! Dodge!" Christopher shouted without thinking.

"Maaan!" Mankey roared as he jumped to one side, narrowly dodging Spearow's Peck.

"Mankey, if you want to get out of this, you'll have to work together with me!" Christopher yelled at him.

"Man?" Mankey looked confused for a moment, but then nodded. "Man!"

"Alright, Mankey!" Christopher commanded, "Start off by using a Karate Chop!"

"Maaan!" Mankey cried out. He ran over to where Spearow was, preparing for a Karate Chop.

"Spearow! Dodge!" the Rocket yelled.

"Speaar!" However, Spearow didn't react fast enough, and the Karate Chop hit its left wing. "Speaar!" it cried it alarm as it fell down to the ground.

"Don't give in, Spearow!" the Rocket shouted, "You're stronger than that!"

"Sp...Spear!" Spearow cried out, flying up again.

"Good, now strike 'em down with a Peck!" the Rocket called.

"Speaaar!" Spearow started charging at Mankey again.

"Use Leer, now!" Christopher quickly ordered.

"Maaan!" Mankey locked eyes with the Spearow and gave it an angry look. A sweat drop appeared on Spearow's head, but it kept charging forward. "Maaaan!" he cried out in pain when the super effective attack hit. He dropped to one knee, but only briefly.

"Use Scratch, now!" Christopher quickly commanded.

"Man!" Mankey leapt up and quickly scratched Spearow's face.

"Speaar!" Spearow let out a cry in pain, but got up again.

"Now use Karate Chop, Mankey!" Christopher called.

"Maaan!" Mankey charged at Spearow, ready to deliver a powerful chop to it.

"Don't let them, Spearow!" the Rocket shouted, "Use your Growl!"

"Speaar..." Spearow nodded as it let out a soft cry. However, it seemed to enrage Mankey even more.

"Maaaaan!" Mankey's eyes turned brightly red, and he let his fist come down on Spearow with incredible force.

"Speaaar!" Spearow cried in surprise, before collapsing to the ground.

"What? But how?" the Rocket questioned, recalling his Spearow, "Growl should have lowered Mankey's attack power!"

Christopher grinned. "See, that's where you went wrong. This Mankey's ability is Defiant. By using moves like Growl or Tail Whip, you only end up boosting its attack."

"Grrr... I'll remember this, kid!" The grunt pocketed Spearow's Poké Ball, and made a quick getaway.

Christopher looked at Mankey. "You made quite a scene in the school."

"Maaan..." Mankey looked to the ground, apparently ashamed.

"It's no problem, though," Christopher grinned, "Let's get you back to the school right now."

"Maaan!" He vigorously nodded, and followed Christopher to Viridian City.

* * *

 _Route 2  
21 June 2008, 2:49 PM_

"I'm telling you, Jane, I saw Nidoran run by here!" Tessa angrily barked.

"And what if it was just a wild Nidoran?" Jane huffed back.

"A wild Nidoran!" Tessa exclaimed, "Have you ever seen a wild Nidoran on Route 2 before? Have you?"

"Well, no, but..." Jane started, before getting interrupted by a Pokémon cry, "What was that?" she cried in alarm.

"We need to go check it out!" Tessa replied. The two of them ran through the tall grass. What they saw were Nidoran and Eevee, facing two black-suited men. Both had a red 'R' splashed on their outfits. Two Pokémon were facing Nidoran and Eevee. The first one was quadruped, and had a long tail and sharp front teeth. It was easy to recognize it as a Rattata. The second Pokémon looked like a cocoon. It had a weird yellow color. Both aspiring trainers took out their Pokédex.

 _"Rattata, the mouse Pokémon. Rattata is cautious in the extreme. Even while it is asleep, it constantly listens by moving its ears around. It is not picky about where it lives—it will make its nest anywhere."_

 _"Kakuna, the cocoon Pokémon and the evolved form of Weedle. Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch."_

"Kids?" the first man cried out in surprise.

"What are you doing here?!" the second man yelled, "Go home now! And remember that you haven't seen anything!"

"Not a chance!" Tessa yelled, "Eevee, Nidoran, are you ready for battle?"

"Nidooh!"

"Veeeee!" the two Pokémon cried out, hurrying over to Tessa and Jane.

"I'll command Eevee, you take Nidoran!" Jane quickly suggested, "Is that okay?"

"More than okay!" Tessa locked eyes with her opponents.

"Annoying kids!" one of the men yelled, "We'll send you packing home after we beat you into pulp! Go Kakuna!"

"Go Rattata!" the other man screamed in unizon.

"Nidoran, use Poison Sting!" Tessa quickly cried out.

"Nidooooh!" Nidoran concentrated, and shot poisonous purple needles at Rattata and Kakuna.

"Intercept it with your own Poison Sting, Kakuna!" one of the Rockets commanded.

"Kunaah!" Kakuna's volley of needles hit Nidoran's, and the two attacks canceled each other out.

"Your turn, Rattata!" the other man grinned, "Use your Quick Attack!"

"Rattaaah!" Rattata nodded, and dashed forward at incredible speed.

"Veee!" Eevee cried out in alarm as the attack sent her flying back.

"Don't give in, Eevee!" Jane screamed, "Counter with your own Quick Attack!"

"Veeee!" In a brown-and-white flash, Eevee disappeared. She hit Rattata in the stomach with a lightning-fast Quick Attack, sending Rattata flying.

"Adaptability," Jane grinned, "It's a handy ability to have."

"Nice work, Jane!" Tessa complimented her.

"Thanks, but I'm not done yet!" Jane shouted, "Eevee, attack Kakuna with Bite!"

"Veee!" Eevee dashed forward again, preparing to chomp on Kakuna.

"Kakuna, prepare yourself and use Harden!" the Rocket commanded.

"Kunaah!" Kakuna shined in a yellow color and Eevee jumped on it. She tried to sink her teeth in Kakuna's shell, but didn't manage to bite through. Frustrated, she landed on the ground again.

"Watch out, Jane!" Tessa cried in alarm.

"Too late!" the man cackled, "Kakuna, Poison Sting!"

"Kunaaah!" The poisonous darts shot by Kakuna hit Eevee right on the forehead, and she was pushed back by the impact.

"Now, Rattata!" the other man ordered, "Time to finish Eevee off! Strike using Quick Attack!"

"Rattaaah!" Rattata dashed forward, aiming for the dazed Eevee.

"Nidoran, use Scratch to block that attack!" Tessa called.

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran went to stand in front of Eevee to protect the latter from the attack. Rattata landed the Quick Attack on Nidoran, and managed to dodge Scratch by jumping out of Nidoran's reach. "Nidooh..." Nidoran grunted in pain.

For a moment, Rattata smirked at the two Pokémon, but then it started to shake. Purple streaks appeared between its eyes. "Rattaah..."

"What?" the man grunted in disbelief.

"Poison Point!" Tessa cheered, "Great work, Nidoran!"

Suddenly, the man's uneasy attitude disappeared, and he actually started smiling. "Or so you think..."

"What?" Tessa asked.

"Rattaaah!" A reddish glow came over Rattata, as the Pokémon stood back up on its four legs.

"What's happening?" Jane questioned.

"Use Quick Attack, once more!" was the only response they got.

"Rattaaaah!" Rattata ran forward and plunged through Nidoran and Eevee's defenses, hitting both of them hard.

"Veeee!"

"Nidoooh!" both Pokémon cried in pain.

"Oh no!" Jane shouted, "But how...?"

"Rattata's ability is Guts," the man in black revealed, "When it's getting weak, or when it's afflicted with a status condition, its attack is boosted."

"My turn now!" the other man yelled, "Kakuna, attack with Poison Sting!"

"Kunaaah!" Kakuna shot another volley of poisonous darts out of its shell, which aimed straight at Eevee.

"Nidoran, protect Eevee!" Tessa yelled.

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran jumped in front of Eevee and took the brunt of the attack. It didn't look too bothered by the attack.

"Now, Nidoran!" Tessa ordered as the attack died down, "Use your Tail Whip on Rattata!"

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran turned around to face Rattata, and cutely wagged her tail at it.

"Ratta?" Rattata let out, confused at Nidoran's actions.

"Eevee, Quick Attack on Rattata, quickly!" Jane commanded.

"Veeee!" Eevee dashed forward, ready to strike Rattata down.

"Rattata, dodge!" its trainer commanded.

"Rattaah!" Rattata jumped up, only to leave its belly vulnerable. Eevee's Quick Attack struck Rattata on exactly the same place the previous Quick Attack had hurt it. "Rattaaah!" it grunted in pain, falling to the ground.

"Finish it off, Nidoran!" Tessa called, "Use your Scratch!"

"Nidoooh!" Now it was Nidoran's turn to dash forward. She let her claws scratch over Rattata's face.

"Rattaah!" Rattata screeched in pain. It struggled to get back on its feet, but then the poison took effect again, and it collapsed to the ground. "Ratta..." it cried weakly.

"Oh no..." one of the men sighed, recalling his Rattata.

"Looks like it's up to me," the other Rocket grumbled, "And that's perfectly fine! Kakuna, use String Shot!"

"Kunaaah!" Kakuna cried as it fired a sticky string of web at Nidoran.

"Nidooh?" Nidoran cried in surprise as she got trapped by the attack.

"Oh no, Nidoran!" Tessa screamed.

"Our turn again now, Eevee!" Jane commanded, "Another Quick Attack, go!"

"Veee!" Eevee nodded before dashing forward.

The man smirked. "Do you really think you can break through Kakuna's defenses? Use Harden!"

"Kunaaah!" Kakuna's body glowed in a yellow color again.

"Stop the attack now, Eevee!" Jane called.

"Vee?" Eevee stopped running and looked at Jane, confused.

"Now use Tail Whip!" Jane commanded.

"Vee!" Eevee nodded before wagging her tail at Kakuna.

"And now use Quick Attack again!" Jane quickly continued.

"Veee!" Eevee quickly acknowledged the order by crashing into Kakuna at great speed.

"Kunaaah?" Kakuna cried in surprise as it was thrown back by the impact of Quick Attack.

"That Tail Whip..." the Rocket muttered, "No matter! Kakuna, Poison Sting, go!"

"Kunaaa!" A volley of purple poisonous needles yet again made its way for Eevee. However, this time she was prepared, and jumped out of the way.

"Great job, Eevee!" Jane called.

"Vee!" Eevee smiled.

"Time for us to join in, Nidoran!" Tessa grinned.

"Nidooh!" Nidoran somehow had managed to free herself out of the webs, and now stood next to Eevee.

"Nidoran, time for your Scratch!" Tessa ordered.

"And you use Bite at the same time, Eevee!" Jane called.

"Nidoooh!"

"Veeee!" both Pokémon cried in unizon.

"Kakuna!" the grunt cried out, "Use Harden again!"

"Kunaaah!" The bright yellow color appeared again.

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran hurled herself at Kakuna, scratching it mercilessly. The glow faded a little.

"Veee!" Eevee sunk her teeth in Kakuna's shell, and this time it did work.

"Kunaaaah!" Kakuna screeched in pain as it was thrown back.

"One last attack!" Tessa and Jane shouted in unizon.

"Scratch!"

"Quick Attack!"

"Veeee!"

"Nidoooh!" the two Pokémon acknowledged their orders, and struck Kakuna at the same time.

"Kuna..." Kakuna cried feebly as it landed in front of the grunt's feet.

"What just happened?!" the Rocket yelled.

"We lost against a bunch of kids that don't even have Pokémon yet?" the other one groaned, "This isn't working... Fall back!"

Jane and Tessa were patting Eevee and Nidoran for their good work, and thus couldn't stop the two Rockets. Tessa gritted her teeth. "Those crooks..."

Jane touched her friend's arm. "Leave them be, Tessa. Priority right now is to bring Eevee and Nidoran back."

"You're right, I guess," Tessa said unwillingly, "Nidoran, Eevee, let's go."

"Veeee!"

"Nidoooh!"

* * *

 _Route 22  
21th June 2008, 3:27 PM_

"Have you seen one already?" Mike asked.

Nathalie shook her head. "Nothing yet."

"Nothing here either," Mike replied with a sigh. He hoped that one of the Pokémon would have at least ran in this direction, so that they weren't looking for anything.

"By the way, Mike..." Nathalie started, but stopped mid-sentence.

"What's up?" Mike asked.

"What are you planning to do if you graduate?" she asked.

Mike looked at her. "Uh, challenging the League. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing..." Nathalie muttered, holding her arm.

"Is something bothering you?" Mike asked.

Nathalie opened her mouth to reply, but then suddenly two Pokémon bolted out of the tall grass. Elekid and Sandshrew. They were quickly followed by two Pokémon. One was a small brown bug, with a nasty-looking stinger on its head. A Weedle. The other one was bigger, but had more or less the same body build as Weedle. It was mostly purple, but had a few yellow streaks. When Mike locked eyes with it, it hissed viciously. Both Mike and Nathalie took out their Pokédexes.

 _"Weedle, the hairy bug Pokémon. Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It is capable of distinguishing its favorite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes just by sniffing with its big red proboscis."_

 _"Ekans, the snake Pokémon. Ekans curls itself up in a spiral while it rests. Assuming this position allows it to quickly respond to a threat from any direction with a glare from its upraised head."_

"What's a proboscis?" Mike wondered.

"It's Weedle's nose," Nathalie told him.

Just then, two men in black came running towards them, but stopped when they saw Mike and Nathalie. Mike recognized the big red 'R' on their uniforms.

"Team Rocket?" he cried out.

"We've been spotted," one of them said calmly.

"Is that a problem?" the other one asked, while still looking at the kids.

"Not at all. Ekans, attack!" the man commanded.

"You too, Weedle!" the other man called.

"Oh no!" Nathalie screamed, "What do we do?"

"Simple," Mike groaned, "Only one option. Elekid, use Thunder Shock!"

"Eleee!" Elekid took on a fighting stance, and fired a small jolt of lightning at the approaching enemy Pokémon.

"Kanssss!" Ekans hissed as the Thunder Shock connected. It was hurled back.

"Weedle, keep going!" one of the men ordered, "Fire a Poison Sting!"

"Weeed!" Weedle pointed its stinger at Elekid, and shot poisonous purple needles out of it.

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried in pain as the attack connected. He stumbled backwards for a moment, but then regained his balance. "Eleee!"

"Nathalie, no time to waste!" Mike said, "The time to battle is now! Command Sandshrew!"

"R-right!" she stuttered, "L-let's go, Sandshrew! Use your Scratch!"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew sprang forward, scratching Weedle's head.

"Weeeed!" The small Pokémon was thrown to the ground.

"You're stronger than that, Weedle!" the Rocket yelled, "Use Poison Sting!"

"And you use Poison Sting as well, Ekans!" the other man commanded.

"Weeeed!"

"Kansss!" Two volleys of poisonous darts were shot at the unfortunate Sandshrew.

"Saaand!" Sandshrew cried in pain as he was hit. Poison Sting wasn't very effective on Ground-type Pokémon, but a double attack still did quite some damage. As the attack stopped, purple streaks appeared between Sandshrew's eyes. "Saaand..." he cried weakly.

"Oh no, Sandshrew!" Nathalie screamed in horror at the poisoned Pokémon.

"Pull yourself together, Nathalie!" Mike yelled at her, before turning back to the battle, "Elekid, use Leer, then follow up with Quick Attack!"

"Eleee!" Elekid glared at his two adversaries, who backed off a bit in fear. Then Elekid dashed forward at incredible speed.

"Weeeed!"

"Kanssss!" the two Pokémon cried in pain as Elekid dashed through them.

"Eleeee!" Elekid boasted proudly as he stood behind Weedle and Ekans.

"Great job!" Mike cheered, "But don't give them a chance to recover! Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeee!" A small electric jolt was fired at Ekans again.

"Out of the way!" one of the Rockets yelled.

"Kanssss!" Ekans quickly slithered away, narrowly dodging the Thunder Shock.

"Great job! Now use Bite!" the man commanded.

"Kanssss!" Ekans lunged at Elekid, preparing to chomp down on him.

"Use Sand Tomb!" Nathalie suddenly yelled.

A sand twister engulfed Ekans from beneath, trapping the surprised Pokémon inside. "Kanssss?"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew cried proudly.

"But it's not over yet!" the other man told them, "Weedle, String Shot!"

"Weeeed!" Without warning, Weedle shot a sticky string of web at Elekid.

"Eleee?" Elekid cried in surprise as he was engulfed by the web, unable to move.

"Great!" one of the Rockets grinned, "Break through Sand Tomb, Ekans!"

"Kanssss!" Ekans's hissing could be heard from inside as it started to shoot Poison Stings at the sandy walls surrounding it.

"We have to take down Weedle before Ekans can break free, Sandshrew!" Nathalie ordered, "Use Scratch!"

"Saaaand!" Once more, Sandshrew let his claw scrape over Weedle's head.

"Weeeed!" The small Pokémon was hurled at the sand vortex, which it broke right through. The Sand Tomb disappeared.

"Now let's go!" one of the men laughed as Ekans broke free.

"Saaand..." Sandshrew looked at Mike and Nathalie, and both trainers knew that he was getting tired. The poisoning was starting to take its toll.

"We need to finish this quickly, Elekid!" Mike called, "Use your Thunder Shock!"

"Eleee!" Electricity ran over Elekid's arms and body as he shot another jolt of electricity at Ekans. This time, the Pokémon didn't have the chance to dodge.

"Kanssss..." the Pokémon cried feebly, collapsing to the ground.

"Alright, great job, Elekid!" Mike cheered.

"Eleeee!" Elekid nodded and grinned.

"Do you think this battle is over already?" the other man snorted as his companion recalled Ekans, "Weedle, strike with Poison Sting!"

"Weeed!" A volley of poisonous darts was launched.

"Elekid, dodge!" Mike ordered.

"Eleeee!" Elekid quickly jumped to one side, deftly evading the Poison Sting.

"Now, Sandshrew!" Nathalie chimed in, "Strike with your Scratch!"

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew rushed forward and scratched Weedle's face again. The impact sent it flying. Weedle landed in a heap in front of its trainer.

"Weeed..."

"You can't be serious!" the man said in disbelief, recalling Weedle.

"Grrr... Bail!" the other man yelled. Both Rockets made a quick getaway.

Mike was about to go after them, when he heard Nathalie call out to him. She was kneeling next to Sandshrew, who had collapsed on the ground. Mike had completely forgotten about the poison. Elekid and he quickly ran over to Nathalie and the weak Sandshrew.

"What should we do, Mike?" Nathalie asked, beginning to tear up.

"Pecha, Oran or Sitrus Berries could help, but I don't think there aren't any around right now," Mike told her, "We need to get to the Pokémon center immediately!"

Just as they were about to leave, they heard someone call out to them. "Hold it!" Bryce suddenly jumped down from a tree, landing in front of a startled Nathalie. He held two berries in his hand, one pink, one blue. "Feed these to Sandshrew, and he'll feel better."

Without a word, Nathalie quickly snatched the berries from Bryce's hand, almost stuffing them in Sandshrew's mouth.

Mike looked at Bryce. "Thanks. If it wasn't for you, then Sandshrew would have been- Wait, how long exactly have you been around?" he suddenly realized, cocking an eyebrow.

Bryce grinned. "Long enough."

"And you didn't bother helping us against those two bandits?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"Relax," Bryce replied, "As soon as we'll get back, I'll tell you two everything. But Sandshrew needs to feel better first."

Nathalie looked up. "It seems to me like that problem has been fixed."

"Saaaand!" a revitalized Sandshrew cried out, waving his arms in the air.

"Good," Bryce smiled, "Time for us to go back then!"

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School, Training Room  
21 June 2008, 4:01 PM_

When Mike and Nathalie entered the training room along with Bryce, Elekid and Sandshrew, they saw that everyone had arrived already. Not only Christopher, Tessa, Jane and Mark were already there, but Mankey, Nidoran, Eevee and Magby were too.

"Where have you guys been?" Christopher asked, "All the others have arrived at least a quarter of an hour ago."

"Give us a break!" Nathalie said, slapping his arm, "Elekid and Sandshrew weren't easy to find! And to make things even worse, we-"

"Ran into some Rocket grunts?" Tessa chimed in, finishing Nathalie's sentence.

"Yes," Nathalie replied, dumbstruck, "How did you know?"

"Apparently, everyone of us got attacked by grunts," Jane answered her question.

"Wait, what?" Mike said.

"There's more, though," Christopher continued, "Mark and I were on our own, and we were both attacked by one grunt. We also only had one Pokémon with us. Tessa and Jane were attacked by two grunts, and with two Pokémon at their side."

"We also had two opponents," Mike muttered, "Coincidental."

"Maybe a little too coincidental," Nathalie added, glaring at her big brother, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

Bryce walked over to Oak and Mr. DeNigro, as if that explained everything. Sandshrew and Elekid followed him.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Mr. DeNigro called out to the students. As soon as they all fell silent, he continued. "Good job on managing to retrieve the Pokémon. But I think all of you have already figured out that this whole quest had been a trick. I'm sorry to say that this was all staged. The so-called Rockets were actors, as were their Pokémon." He made a gesture with his hand, and suddenly six people entered the room, dressed in black suits with a red 'R' on it. One carried a Kakuna in his arms. They were quickly followed by a Rattata, Ekans and Weedle, and in the air flew two Spearow.

"I'm sorry for this little act here," Bryce grinned, "If you are to blame anyone for it, then blame me. It was all my idea after all."

"Don't forget about the other Pokémon!" Oak added, "All of them were looking forward to it as well!"

"I knew it!" Nathalie shouted. She looked like she was about to attack Bryce. Meanwhile, the others had brought up their Pokédexes to scan the Pokémon they hadn't fought.

"Indeed, it was Bryce's idea," Mr. DeNigro added, "But professor Oak and I both agreed that it would be a good test to see whether you'd be really suited to train Pokémon. Shouldn't you have realized it by now, this was actually your battling test. Instead of having to battle each other individually, you had to work together to beat all the Rockets."

"Well, most people battled together," Bryce shrugged, looking at Mark and Christopher, "You two were so quick to run off. Nonetheless, you did a great job. And that goes for all of you."

"Hold on, hold on!" Tessa held up a hand, "So you're saying that all of this was staged? Mankey's rampage, us finding those Pokémon and bringing them back?"

Mankey climbed up on Mr. DeNigro's shoulder, widely grinning. "I'm afraid it was, miss Wainwright. Mankey here is a way better actor than I had imagined, though."

"Maaan!" Mankey's grin grew even wider at the flattery.

"So now that all that has been revealed," professor Oak said, "It's time to let you know who of you will graduate and who won't." The students must have looked afraid, but Oak smiled. "Mr. DeNigro couldn't believe it himself, but you all pass."

For a moment, not a word was spoken in the room. All the ex-students looked at the professor, at Bryce, at Mr. DeNigro in shock. Then hell broke loose.

"We all passed?!" Jane cried out.

"I can hardly believe it!" Christopher yelled, "Well, I did believe I would pass, but I never imagined all of you would as well!"

"Why, thank you very much!" Tessa snapped at him.

"I'm so happy, I could burst from joy!" Mike exclaimed.

"Y-yeah!" Nathalie cheered, but somehow it sounded a little forced to Mike. He wasn't the only one to notice it. Tessa, Jane and Christopher all stared at the girl. "W-what's the problem?"

"Er-hem," Mr. DeNigro cleared his throat, "I know how happy all of you are currently, but I'm afraid I have to ask you to be quiet for just a few more minutes." He paused. "First off, those Pokédexes are yours to keep. They will be invaluable tools in your journey, so always carry them with you."

"More importantly," Oak continued, "This is also the moment for you to decide on your starter Pokémon." He stuck a hand in the lab coat he was wearing, and took three Poké Balls in their small form out. "Come on out!" he commanded, enlarging the Poké Balls and throwing them in the air.

The first Pokémon to appear was quadruped. Its color was something in between blue and green, and it had a huge green bulb on its back. The second Pokémon was bipedal. Its color was orange-and-red. The tip of its middle long tail had a flame on it. The third Pokémon was also bipedal. Its body was blue, but most of it was covered by a yellow-and-red shell.

"Oh!" Nathalie cried out in delight, "Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle?!"

The others knew the Pokémon as well, but they took out their Pokédexes anyway.

 _"Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger."_

 _"Charmander, the lizard Pokémon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely."_

 _"Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds."_

"Incredible!" Tessa piped up, "These will be our starter Pokémon?"

"Hold your horses, Tessa," Christopher said, "Those are only three Pokémon. There are fi- six of us."

"That's true..." Tessa frowned.

"That's true, Christopher," Mr. DeNigro agreed, "But those aren't the only starter Pokémon. Introducing the other choices..." He waved at Nidoran, Eevee, Mankey, Magby, Elekid and Sandshrew. "Nine Pokémon for six trainers. Three of these Pokémon will stay behind."

"Moreover," professor Oak added, "Your choice is priority if you used the Pokémon in your exam. So if there's any trainer who wants to claim the Pokémon they used as their partner..."

"Dibs!" Mike and Mark both yelled, before glaring at each other.

"So, you two have grown quite attached to Elekid and Magby, hm?" the professor smiled, "Rules are rules. Elekid, Magby, are you okay with that?"

"Eleeee!"

"Maaaag!" the Pokémon cried happily before running over to their new Pokémon.

In the meantime, Jane had walked over to Eevee. "Um, I'd like to have Eevee as my starter Pokémon, professor..."

"Jane Arlan, wasn't it?" professor Oak asked, "Well, don't be shy. It looks like Eevee is already quite comfortable around you anyway."

"Veeee!" Eevee let out a cry of happiness.

"And our three other trainers?" Mr. DeNigro asked.

Christopher looked at Mankey. "As much as I enjoyed our battle, Mankey, I'm afraid my choice has already been made."

"Same with me," Tessa apologized, "Sorry, Nidoran."

"Maaaaan..."

"Nidoooh..." both Pokémon looked sad as Christopher and Tessa made their way to Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.

"I've always wanted to train one of your kind, so this is perfect," Christopher grinned, picking up Squirtle.

"Squiiiirt!" Squirtle grinned back.

"And I've made my choice as well!" Tessa exclaimed, reaching out for Charmander.

"Chaaaar!" Charmander cried happily, jumping in her new trainer's arms.

Bryce walked over to Nathalie. "And you, sis? Haven't you decided yet?"

Nathalie punched Bryce's arm. "Don't push me! I'm still thinking!"

"No, you aren't," Bryce stated calmly, "You have made your choice a long time ago. You just don't want to say it because you're afraid to hurt Sandshrew."

Nathalie looked at her older brother, rage burning in her eyes. She then turned to Sandshrew. "I'm sorry, Sandshrew. He's right."

"Saaaand..." Sandshrew looked at the ground for a moment, but then faced Nathalie again and nodded, understanding her decision.

Nathalie then proceeded to walk over to professor Oak's only remaining starter. "Bulbasaur... Would you like to come with me?"

"Bulbaaah!" Bulbasaur nodded vigorously.

"Then that's settled!" Bryce exclaimed, earning himself a dirty look from Nathalie, "Now, that you have both your Pokémon and Pokédex, the only thing you still need are Poké Balls!" He walked up to all the six new trainers, handing all of them five Poké Balls.

"Remember, you can only carry six Pokémon at a time with you!" Mr. DeNigro warned them. All trainers nodded understandingly.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Tessa grinned.

"I can already guess what you're thinking about," Christopher grinned back.

"How about we all have a Pokémon battle?" Tessa asked, "Our first battles as trainers, against each other! What do you think?"

"Count me in," Christopher replied, "Squirtle, do you agree?"

"Squiiiirt!" Squirtle smirked.

"I'm in as well!" Mike exclaimed, "Ready, Elekid?"

"Eleeee!" Elekid waved his arms around, causing electricity to crackle in the air.

"And we accept as well!" Jane smiled, "Don't we, Eevee?"

"Veeee!" Eevee nodded.

"Nathalie, Mark, what about you?" Tessa asked.

"I'll pass," Mark said smugly, "Unlike you guys, I have interesting things to do, and stronger opponents to take on. Later."

"I really can't stand that guy," Mike mumbled, seeing Mark and his new Magby walk away.

"Pay him no mind," Tessa told him, "In fact, why did I even invite him?"

"I'd like to sit this out, if you don't mind..." Nathalie said shyly.

Mike, Christopher, Tessa and Jane all looked at Nathalie. Then Christopher turned to Mr. DeNigro. "Is it okay if we use these fields for our practice battles?"

Mr. DeNigro smiled. "Of course. I'll be happy to be the referee, even!"

"And I'll be the referee for the other battle," Bryce stepped in, "By the way, who's going to battle who?"

"Christopher battling me wouldn't be fair," Tessa said, "Water has a type advantage over Fire."

"On the other side, Chris battling Mike wouldn't be fair either," Nathalie chimed in, "Electric-type Pokémon are strong against Water-types."

"That leaves only Jane as my possible opponent," Christopher concluded.

Jane smiled. "Alright, Eevee and I accept your challenge!"

"Veeee!" Eevee cried defiantly.

"I guess our decision has been made for us!" Mike grinned at Tessa.

"So it has!" Tessa grinned back, "But I'm not going easy on you!"

"Wouldn't want you to!" Mike called back, "Ready, Elekid?"

"Eleeee!" Elekid smirked.

"Let's do this, Charmander!" Tessa smiled.

"Chaaar!" Charmander cried, locking eyes with Elekid.

"I'll be the referee for the battle between Mike and Tessa," Bryce quickly said.

"Then I'll ref the match between Jane and Christopher," Mr. DeNigro shrugged, "Trainers, if you're ready, take your places!"

* * *

 **The exam has ended, with all of our students passing! Whoever expected that, please raise your hand! Not only that, but everyone has picked a starter as well! In the next chapter, Mike will be facing off against Tessa, while Jane will battle Christopher. Who's going to win? Place your bets now!**

 **No, but seriously. From the next chapter onwards, the actual journey will start, so that's something to look forward to. I think. I hope.**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid:  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Ability: Static  
\- Moves: Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack


	3. Chapter 3: Takeoff

**So here I am again. I apologize in advance for disappearing as long as I did, but real life caught up to me and I kinda...lost both interest and inspiration to write this story as well. However, for now, I'm back. Updates won't be really scheduled anymore, though. Mostly because my uploads will depend on how badly I wanted to write.**

 **Anyway, a quick recap of what we've seen in the previous chapter! Mike and his friends Nathalie, Tessa, Christopher and Jane have all passed their exam, and are now official Pokémon trainers! And now, Mike, Tessa, Christopher and Jane are all getting ready for their first Pokémon battle as real trainers.**

* * *

 _Viridian City Trainer School, Training Room  
21 June 2008, 4:42 PM_

"Are you ready, Tess?" Mike called to his opponent, who had taken her place on the other side of the battlefield.

"You bet!" Tessa grinned back.

Elekid and Charmander had taken their places on the battlefield, facing each other.

"You too, Elekid?" Mike asked.

"Eleeee!" Elekid boasted, making electricity run over his arms.

"Let's do this, Charmander!" Tessa cheered.

"Chaaaar!" Charmander responded by blowing a few flames out of her mouth.

Bryce walked over to the side of the battlefield and put his arms up in the air. "This will be a one-vs-one battle between Mike Redwood and Tessa Wainwright! The battle is over if one of the trainer's Pokémon is unable to battle!" He moved his arms down abruptly. "Begin!"

"Alright, Charmander!" Tessa quickly commanded, "Start off with an Ember!"

"Chaaaar!" Charmander cried in response, firing a bunch of flames from her mouth at Elekid.

"Use Thunder Shock!" Mike called.

"Eleeee!" Elekid quickly countered by firing a jolt of electricity. The two attacks collided, and nullified each other.

"Good job, Elekid!" Mike continued, "Keep going and use your Leer!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid stared at Charmander with a menacing look on his face.

"Chaaaar..." Charmander groaned, taking a step back.

"Don't give in, Charmander!" Tessa called, "Use your Scratch!"

"Chaaaar!" Charmander dashed forward, her claws ready to strike at Elekid.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge, Elekid!" Mike commanded, "Then continue your attack to hit Charmander!"

"Eleeeee!" Just before Charmander could land her attack, Elekid quickly darted out of the way.

"Chaaar?" Charmander questioned, confused.

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried out as he slammed into Charmander's left side, sending her flying back.

"Charmander, are you okay?" Tessa cried.

"Chaaar..." Charmander groaned briefly, before getting standing back up.

Tessa gritted her teeth. "Growl, now!"

"Chaaaar..." Charmander growled cutely at Elekid.

"Eleeee?" Elekid took a step back, looking distracted.

"Follow up with Scratch!" Tessa screamed.

"Chaaaaar!" Charmander aimed her claws at Elekid.

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried as the claws scraped over his head, and jumped back.

"Don't give in, Elekid!" Mike called.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid roared defiantly.

"Good job, Charmander!" Tessa praised her Pokémon. Then she noticed something was wrong.

Electric sparks ran over Charmander's body, and she seemed to be immobilized. "Chaaaar..." she cried weakly.

"That's Static!" Nathalie cried out from the sidelines, "Charmander has been paralyzed!"

"Way to go, Elekid!" Mike grinned.

"It's not over yet, though!" Tessa smirked. As if that was what Charmander was waiting for, an orange-red aura enveloped the Pokémon.

"Chaaaar!" Charmander somehow now looked stronger than before.

"Blaze!" Nathalie gasped.

"Blaze?" Mike asked.

"Blaze boosts the power of a Pokémon's Fire-type attacks when they're weak or have a status problem," Tessa explained, "But that's enough of that! Use Ember!"

"Chaaaar!" Charmander's loud roar could be heard throughout the whole room. She took a deep breath, before quickly blowing a stream of flames at Elekid.

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried in alarm as he was hit by the strengthened attack.

"Elekid!" Mike yelled, "Quickly, use your Thunder Shock!"

"Not a chance!" Tessa smirked, "Use Ember!"

"Eleeee!"

"Chaaaar!" Both Pokémon used their respective attacks, which collided with each other. However, unlike the first time, Ember overpowered Thunder Shock this time, and broke though. The flames made their way to Elekid, and hit him on the chest.

"Eleee!" Elekid cried out as he got hit by the Ember. Although it was weakened by having to break through Thunder Shock, it still had some effect.

Mike frowned. Charmander's Ember was just too powerful right now. He wouldn't have expected the paralysis to work against him. Then an idea struck him. It was so obvious, so simple, that he was surprised he didn't think of it before.

"Elekid, keep using Quick Attack! Run in circles around Charmander!"

"Eleeee?" Elekid didn't seem to know what Mike's plan was, but acknowledged his order anyway.

"Chaaaaar? Chaaaaar?" Charmander cried out in surprise, seeing Elekid rapidly run around her.

"Now, use Thunder Shock!" Mike commanded.

"Eleeee!" Elekid abruptly stopped, and fired an electric jolt at Charmander.

"Chaaaaar!" Charmander cried in pain as the electricity made contact. She fixated on the now stagnant Elekid.

"Charmander, Ember, go!" Tessa yelled.

"Chaaaaaar!" Charmander roared as she fired off another fiery breath.

"Quick Attack, and run around her!" Mike called.

"Eleeee!" Elekid started running again, dodging Charmander's attack.

"Chaaaaaar!" Charmander got enraged by Elekid dashing around her, and started to use Embers on her own.

"Charmander, what are you doing?" Tessa called over to her Pokémon, "Stop!"

Charmander refused to listen, and kept on attacking. Every Ember missed its mark.

Although Mike felt bad for Tessa, he knew he had to end the battle now. "Elekid, strike her with Quick Attack!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid quickly changed direction, now running at Charmander.

"Chaaaaar..." Charmander cried weakly as the full-body attack connected. She dropped to one knee, before landing on the ground with a thud.

"Charmander is unable to battle!" Bryce announced, "Elekid wins! Mike is the winner!"

"No way!" Tessa yelled as she ran over to her Charmander. "Are you okay, Charmander?" she asked gently, picking Charmander up.

"Chaaaar..." Charmander responded with an ashamed look on her face.

"Don't worry," Tessa smiled, "We'll get them next time."

"Awesome work, Elekid!" Mike grinned, running over to his Pokémon and giving it a hug.

Elekid seemed to be taken aback by the sudden affection, but hugged back. "Eleee!"

"Great battle, both of you," Bryce said, "Both Elekid and Charmander did good. Mike, I was especially impressed with your Quick Attack strategy."

Mike scratched the back of his head. "Eheheh, thanks..." he said, embarrassed.

"Eevee is unable to battle! Squirtle wins!" they suddenly heard Mr. DeNigro shout, "Christopher is the winner!"

Mike, Tessa and Bryce all looked at the other battlefield. Jane had knelt next to her fallen Eevee, while Christopher and Squirtle were grinning at each other.

"Great job, Squirtle," Christopher stated.

"Squiiiirt!" Squirtle proudly boasted.

Meanwhile, Nathalie had walked up to the group as well. "Great job, all of you!" she congratulated her friends.

"Thanks!" Mike grinned.

"You all did pretty well for being rookies," Mr. DeNigro remarked, "Christopher, I was impressed how well you utilized both Squirtle's offensive and defensive capabilities." He looked at professor Oak. "And for now... We'll leave you alone." He walked out of the room, with professor Oak following.

"Heh," Christopher smirked, "We're just a great combination, aren't we, Squirtle?"

"Squiiiiirt!" Squirtle nodded.

"We'll win next time, though!" Jane promised him.

"Yeah, sure," Christopher said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway," Mike quickly interrupted before Jane could answer, "We should get ready for our journey tomorrow. I'm going to pack my stuff already."

Christopher, Jane and Tessa all nodded, but Nathalie looked away. "I...I guess you're right, Mike..." Nathalie muttered, "See all of you tomorrow!" She quickly ran away, leaving the others wondering about her behavior.

"What's with her?" Christopher asked, breaking the silence.

Tessa shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe it's just the stress."

Mike glanced over at Bryce. He didn't say anything, but shot Mike a look that said 'I'll talk to you about it later.'. He resisted the urge to ask Bryce about it right away.

"Well, at any rate, Mike is right," Jane stated, "Tomorrow we all have to go our separate ways."

"Yeah," Christopher nodded, "Though, only one can be the strongest here. Of course that'll be me."

"Joker!" Tessa nudged him, "I'm going to be the strongest! And I'm going to win the Pokémon League tournament!"

"Guys, please!" Mike barged in, "That's my job, and you know it!"The three started to argue with each other over who would become the strongest.

Bryce turned to Jane. "Shouldn't you be getting in that argument as well?"

Jane shrugged. "Nah. I'm probably not going to take the Pokémon League challenge anyway."

Bryce raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what are you planning to do instead, then?"

Jane giggled softly. "I don't want the others to find out just yet. It'll be a surprise to them!"

"Huh? A surprise?" Tessa turned her head in Jane and Bryce's direction.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Jane blushed, "Please keep on arguing like before!"

"Anyhow," Christopher shrugged, "I should really get going now. This'll be the first time I can traverse Viridian Forest on my own." He exhaled deeply. "I'm feeling a little nervous, to be honest."

"Don't worry about it, Chris," Mike told him, "I'm sure you'll do great."

"Yeah...but I still have to go." He looked at Tessa, Jane and Mike. "Shame Nathalie already left. This'll be the last time in a while I'll see you guys, so good luck to all of you. Hope to see all of you again at the League tournament."

"Don't worry!" Tessa grinned, "I'll definitely make it!" She averted her gaze, suddenly looking a bit sad. "It feels a little weird knowing I won't see you all for so long, though..."

"It's okay!" Mike smiled reassuringly, "We all knew it would happen eventually, right?"

"I guess you're right," Tessa nodded softly.

Jane wrapped an arm around Tessa. "Don't worry. I know you'll do great," she said, earning herself a small smile from Tessa.

"Hate to break up this moment, but I really got to get going," Christopher interrupted, "See all of you later!"

"See you!" they all called to him. The two girls and the boy looked at each other.

"Well, it's about time I get going too..." Mike said.

"I'll accompany you," Bryce chimed in, surprising Mike, Tessa and Jane. They looked at each other, a little suspicious of Bryce's offer. "What now?" Bryce asked, "I'm just trying to be friendly to my sister's friends here!"

"Uh, okay," Mike answered. He still wasn't sure if that was really the reason Bryce wanted to accompany him. "Tess, Jane, see you two later! Oh, and say bye to Josh from me as well!"

"Will do!" Jane nodded, "See you, Mike!"

"See you!" Tessa added.

As they walked out of the school building, Mike looked at Bryce. "So, why exactly are you accompanying me?"

Bryce let out a soft sigh. "I guess I'm just really, really bad at lying, huh?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, whatever," Bryce shrugged, "I needed to tell you anyway. Listen, I'm not the best with words, so I'll just keep this short and sweet. I want you to accompany my little sister on her journey."

Mike was taken aback by Bryce's question. "Why me? I mean, I wouldn't mind Nathalie tagging along or something, but why are you asking me? Christopher and Tessa are there too..."

"I saw you two battling Ekans and Weedle with Elekid and Sandshrew," Bryce told him, "I dunno why, but I felt like you would be a good choice. Listen, I understand if you rather go alone..."

"No, no!" Mike shook his head, "I'd be happy to have Nathalie with me! I mean, the more the merrier, right?"

Bryce's usual grin grew larger than usual. "Awesome! I'll make sure to keep Nathalie in Viridian City as long as possible tomorrow, so that you can still meet up with her!"

Mike looked at the young man. He seemed to be so concerned about Nathalie, and yet... "Bryce?" he asked, "I've got a question."

"Shoot!" Bryce answered gleefully.

"You really care about Nathalie, and still she doesn't seem to like you." Mike almost instantly felt bad for asking, seeing Bryce's smile fading. "Why's that?"

Bryce averted his gaze. Mike knew that he touched a sensitive subject. It took half a minute for Bryce to finally answer. "Want the truth? The cold, hard, shocking truth?" He sighed. "I don't know. I realize how cheesy this sounds, but I really don't know. Truth to be told, the two of us used to be very close. I guess it's because of our parents."

"Your parents?" Mike questioned, "What do they have to do with it?"

Bryce scratched the back of his head. "You see, I've always been the 'good' one. A hard worker at home, incredible grades at school, and a great Pokémon battler. My parents constantly compared the two of us. How Nathalie should take an example to her big brother."

Mike began to realize something. "Is that the reason why Nathalie had always worked that hard in school?"

Bryce shrugged. "Don't know about that. It might be one of the reasons. Anyway, Nathalie is a hard worker at home, just like me, and receives even better grades at school. But uh...the Pokémon battling is apparently the most important to our parents."

"What?" Mike shouted, "That's horrible!"

"Believe me, I know. But dad's a gym trainer in the Viridian gym, so... Anyway, when their son managed to win a Pokémon League tournament, they were so proud. The problem is that they expect more or less the same from Nathalie now as well."

"Poor Nathalie..."

"Yeah," Bryce said, "And I can't think of any other reason why she would dislike me than that." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish I never went on my journey. It made me grow in so many aspects, but at what cost..."

Mike stared at him. At the start of the day, Bryce looked so mature and powerful. Now, he just seemed like a broken brother, one that longed for a hug from his sister. "Don't worry," Mike said, "I'm sure it'll work out. Eventually. Just give it some time."

Bryce smiled weakly at him. "Yeah, I guess you're right... Oh, by the way. You made a good decision choosing your starter."

"You think so?" Mike asked.

"Sure," Bryce nodded, "When I started out as a trainer at your age, I chose Elekid as my starter as well."

"Oh, I remember!" Mike replied, "That Pokémon you used to train on the school's battlefield..."

"That used to be Elekid, yes," Bryce smiled, pulling out a Poké Ball, "Come on out, Electivire!"

The Pokémon that materialized wasn't particularly huge, but still towered over Mike. Just like Elekid, this Pokémon had a yellow-and-black coloring. "Electiiiii!" it roared, stomping the ground with one feet and raising his arms to the sky. Mike quickly stepped back.

"Don't be afraid," Bryce said, patting the back of his Pokémon, "Electivire just likes to show off."

"Electiiii!" Electivire cried in protest. Mike took out his Pokédex.

 _"Electivire, the thunderbolt Pokémon and the evolved form of Electabuzz. As its electric charge amplifies, blue sparks begin to crackle between its horns."_

"Seems like a really powerful Pokémon," Mike said, putting his Pokédex away again.

"He sure is!" Bryce laughed, "I'd challenge you to a practice battle, but I'm fairly sure your Elekid isn't Electivire's equal in power yet."

"Let's see about that! Go, Elekid!" Mike called, releasing Elekid from his Poké Ball.

"Eleee!" Elekid cried defiantly as it emerged, only to be silenced by the huge form of Electivire in front of him. He hid behind his trainer's legs.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Bryce grinned, "Don't worry, my Electivire was the same back when I first received him."

"Electiiii!" Electivire crossed his arms, and turned away from Bryce, distraught.

"C'mon now, buddy, you know it's true," Bryce said.

"Electivire sure looks powerful..." Mike mused, "But one day, we'll be just as tough, Elekid! What am I saying? We'll be tougher! Right?"

"Eleeee!" Sparks flew from Elekid's antennae, as the Electric-type waved around his arms in excitement.

"That's the spirit," Bryce smiled, "Well then, Mike and Elekid. Looks like you two are ready." He recalled Electivire and waved at them. "See you both tomorrow." Before Mike had the time to say his goodbyes as well, Bryce ran away, leaving Mike and Elekid behind in the dust.

"One day..." Mike muttered, "One day."

* * *

 _Pallet Town  
22 June 2008, 7:31 AM_

"We'll miss you, Mike," Sandra gave her son another hug.

"Moo-oom!" Mike grinned, "It's not like I'm leaving forever!"

"That's true," Mason said, "But that doesn't stop your mom from getting emotional." The man turned towards Elekid. "Take good care of my son for me, will you, Elekid?"

"Eleee!" Elekid buzzed proudly.

"I should be the one to take care of you!" Mike protested.

Elekid climbed on top of his new trainer's shoulder, grinning. His antennae sparkled with energy.

"Well then!" Mike grinned, "Next time I'll be here, I will be as the winner of the Pokémon League tournament!"

"Sure you will!" Mason bumped his shoulder playfully.

His parents waved him off as Mike set out for Viridian City with Elekid on his shoulder.

"I wonder if he'll be alright," Sandra told her husband, worry sounding in her voice.

"We were just like him at his age, dear," Mason said, "We couldn't have restrained him anyway."

"I guess you're right. But I'll still miss him..."

Mason hugged his wife. "You're not the only one."

* * *

 _Route 1  
22 June 2008, 8:12 AM_

"That leaves us now, huh?" he said to his Electric-type partner.

"Eleee!" Elekid nodded.

"Guess we'd better start with training if we want to become stronger..." Mike noticed Elekid standing upright, as if he was listening to something. "Is something wrong?" Mike asked.

"Ele." Elekid raised an arm, and closed his eyes. Mike could hear it too now. Footsteps. And they were drawing closer.

A figure bumped into him, sending Mike flying back. He landed on his backside, but luckily there were leaves below him, so he didn't get hurt too badly. He looked over to the person that bumped into him.

"Mike...?" Nathalie slowly replied, getting up, "I was coming to meet you..." She held her head between her hands.

"Nathalie?" Mike cried in alarm, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... I didn't hit my head or anything, so it's okay." She managed a smile.

"Why did you go all the way through Route 1?" Mike asked, "You could have just waited in Viridian City. I needed to pass there anyway."

"Yes...about that," Nathalie huffed, "I spoke to Bryce yesterday. He told me of his 'little plan' to let me travel with you."

Mike felt his face becoming red. "Sorry if you don't want to! I don't want to force you or anything!" he quickly apologized.

"No...No," Nathalie shook her head, "It's not like that. You see, I'd love to travel around with you. It looks really fun to me, to be honest." She looked away. "Though, I don't want you to travel with me only because my brother wants you to."

Mike blinked a few times, before smiling. He thought that Nathalie had come to tell him she didn't want to travel with him. "You know, I'd have said yes if you asked me to as well. I'd love to have you around."

Nathalie stared at him, as if she couldn't believe what he just said. "Really?"

"Of course!" Mike exclaimed. Elekid climbed back on his trainer's shoulder, and nodded vigorously as well.

"Thank you!" Nathalie cried out.

"Hey, it's no problem at all!" Mike grinned, before noticing something, "Where's Bulbasaur?"

Nathalie took a Poké Ball in its smaller form out of her pocket, enlarged it, and released Bulbasaur. "Bulbaaaah!" Bulbasaur cried as he materialized.

"Here he is!" Nathalie smiled.

"Hello there, Bulbasaur," Mike said, "Looks like we'll be travelling together for the time being. Are you okay with that?"

"Bulbaaah!" Bulbasaur grinned, extending a vine to high five Elekid. The Electric-type was also grinning.

"I guess that's a yes," Mike concluded, "Let's make our way to Viridian City then."

"Let's pass Viridian City rather quickly too," Nathalie proposed, "I'd rather not meet up with my parents right now."

"Do they know you're leaving?" Mike asked.

"Bryce is going to tell them later today," Nathalie shrugged.

Mike nodded, happy that she entrusted her brother with something. "I understand. Let's go then."

Nathalie smiled brightly. "Thank you! By the way, I've got a map of Route 2. The place's not really big, but at least bigger than Route 1. We might have to spend the night there... On the other hand, it's better than spending the night in Viridian Forest... Hmmm..."

Mike looked at her. Nathalie was concentrating to the fullest, and every time she did that, she got sucked in her own world. "Nathalie!" he called out.

Nathalie snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"If we keep dawdling like this, we'll never reach the end of Route 2 before the sun sets," Mike grinned.

"Oh!" Nathalie cried, "You're right! Let's hurry then!" She started marching quickly, Bulbasaur following right behind her.

"She's not used to this, is she?" Mike sighed. Elekid let his antennae sparkle as his answer. "Well, let's follow her anyway!"

* * *

 _Route 2  
22 June 2008, 5:53 PM_

"Use Thunder Shock!" Mike commanded.

"Eleee!" Elekid cried out, firing a small jolt of electricity.

"Rattaaah!" their opponent, a Rattata, cried out as it was hit by the Electric-type attack. It slumped down and didn't get back up.

"Oh, man..." its trainer, a young boy wearing yellow shorts and a blue shirt, sighed, "Your Elekid is way too good!"

"Thanks!" Mike smiled, "Your Rattata wasn't bad either!"

"Are you ready now?" Nathalie fumed as the youngster left, "We'll never reach Viridian Forest in time if you keep challenging every trainer along the way!"

"Ah, c'mon!" Mike pouted, "I'm having fun, and so is Elekid! And look..." he pointed at Bulbasaur, "Even Bulbasaur was enjoying the show!"

Bulbasaur nodded, but abruptly stopped when Nathalie looked at him. "No more battling for today. Promise me."

"But Nathalie-"

"Promise."

"Aww, fine..." Mike sighed, "I'll stop battling for today." He frowned for a moment, but then his expression changed to happy again. "At least I've beaten all the trainers along the way so far!"

"There were only three," Nathalie sighed.

"Yeah, so?"

"All three only had Rattata," Nathalie continued.

"Yeah, so?" The point she was trying to make didn't get across to Mike.

"You know what?" Nathalie raised her hands, "Never mind. Let's just continue." She continued marching in the direction of Viridian Forest.

Mike looked at Elekid, who shrugged. When he turned to Bulbasaur, the Grass/Poison-type shrugged as well. Girls. The three quickly followed Nathalie, as they didn't want to lose her. However, Nathalie had already stopped walking.

"This is it," she said, a gate looming over her, "The entrance to Viridian Forest."

"Didn't I tell you that the battles wouldn't slow us down?" Mike huffed angrily.

"We should set up camp here," Nathalie continued, ignoring Mike, "The sun's starting to set, and I'm not looking forward to camp inside Viridian Forest."

"Agreed," Mike nodded. Viridian Forest wasn't the most pleasant of places to stay at. Bug-type Pokémon everywhere, "But what are we going to eat?"

"Don't worry, I'm an excellent cook!" Nathalie smiled, "Well, maybe not excellent. But I'm able to cook."

"Show me your magic, then!" Mike grinned.

"Sure, but it won't be ready anytime soon. So I hope you don't mind waiting a little."

"Don't worry!" Mike said, "I'll take a small stroll through Viridian Forest with Elekid for a while!"

"Eleee!" Elekid cried in agreement, running after his trainer.

"Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes!" Nathalie called after the two of them, "Don't be late!"

"That Nathalie," Mike grinned at Elekid as the two passed the gate, "Does she really think I'd forget something as important as dinner?"

"Eleee!" the Electric-type shook his head as well.

Mike grinned. Elekid seemed to enjoy being around him, something Mike was happy about. "You know, Elekid..." His sentence was cut short by a scream in the distance. "Did you hear that?"

"Ele!" the alarmed Elekid ran off in the direction of the scream.

"Elekid, wait up! Wait for me!" Mike shouted, running after his Pokémon. He didn't realize how fast Elekid was until now. Another scream sounded, louder this time. Mike made himself sprint even faster.

Suddenly he was forced to stop running, or else he would have bumped into Elekid. The Pokémon stared at a tree. At first sight, it looked like there was a young boy sitting against the tree, nothing more. But then Mike realized that at least five Weedle were facing the boy, and that he was trying to crawl away from them. "Help!" the boy yelled again.

"We've got to help him, Elekid!" Mike cried out.

"Eleeee!" Elekid nodded.

"Use Thunder Shock! Maybe that'll drive them away!"

"Eleeeee!" Sparkles appeared between Elekid's antennae as he shot a jolt of electricity between the boy and the Bug-type Pokémon. Much to Mike's surprise, it actually worked. The Weedle crawled away, frightened by the lightning.

"Phew," Mike sighed, "Good work, Elekid." He ran over to the child. "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine..." the boy stuttered.

"I'm Mike," Mike introduced himself, "And this is Elekid. You don't have to be afraid. You're safe now."

"T-thank you…" the boy replied, "I'm… My name's Randy."

Mike took a good look at the boy. His hair, cut short, was as black as the night's sky, mirroring his eyes. However, it seemed like he wasn't older than about ten or eleven. "Randy, what are you doing all alone in Viridian Forest, of all places?"

"I wanted to catch a Pokémon…" Randy pouted, "My big brother said that I was too young to be a trainer, so I wanted to catch one to prove him wrong."

"And so you went to Viridian Forest all alone?" Mike gasped, "Come on, let's get you back home in Viridian City."

"Uh…" Randy hesitated, "Actually, I live in Pewter City."

Mike stopped walking abruptly. "You came all the way out here from Pewter City?" He was surprised the kid didn't run into trouble with wild Pokémon before.

"Yeah … There was this scary guy walking around in Viridian Forest, and he shouted at me, and I was so afraid, so I ran away and got lost…" Randy started to cry a little. "T-then I came across a Weedle, and I tried to capture it, but ended up angering it, and it and its friends a-attacked me…" The young boy burst out in tears.

Mike just stood there, uncomfortable. He had no idea what to tell to the boy. Instead, he just wrapped an arm around the boy. "Follow me," he told Randy, "There's a friend of mine at the edge of Viridian Forest. Spend the night with us, and then we can get you back to Pewter City tomorrow. Deal?"

Randy said nothing, but looked up at Mike with huge, watery eyes. Mike was starting to feel even more uncomfortable.

* * *

 _Route 2  
22 June 2008, 6:42 PM_

"I'm afraid we're a little late, Elekid," Mike mumbled, "Nathalie's not going to be happy."

"Bulbaaah!" Bulbasaur's voice suddenly sounded. Bulbasaur ran up to them. "Bulbaaah! Bulbaaah!"

"Did you find them, Bulbasaur?" Nathalie's voice sounded not very far away.

"Bulbaaaaaah!" Bulbasaur cried again. He looked briefly at Mike. He could have imagined it, but Mike could swear that the Grass/Poison-type looked sorry for him.

Nathalie appeared from behind a tree, her head as red as a tomato. Mike couldn't tell whether it was from the running she did or from anger. Oh boy.

"Where were you two?" she fumed, "I told you to get back…" Her anger disappeared when she saw Randy. "Who's this?"

"This is Randy, from Pewter City," Mike explained, "Elekid and I found him in Viridian Forest as he was being attacked by a bunch of Weedle."

"M-Mike saved me…" Randy softly said.

Nathalie looked from Randy to Mike, and then back to Randy. "I guess there's a lot of explaining to do. Good thing that I didn't eat everything myself yet."

* * *

 **Having rescued the lost boy from Pewter City, Mike and Nathalie will be preparing to pass Viridian Forest, together with their new friend Randy. But who's the mysterious guy that scared Randy off? And will Mike actually catch a Pokémon one of these days?**

 **All will be revealed in the upcoming chapter: 'To catch a Pokémon'! Stay tuned!**

 **...I hope I'll stay tuned myself too.**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid:  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Ability: Static  
\- Moves: Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur:  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Ability: Overgrow  
\- Moves: Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle


	4. Chapter 4: To catch a Pokémon

**Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter 4 of Pokémon - Kanto Journey!**

 **I figured that I made everyone wait long enough for the third chapter, so here's chapter number 4, a lot sooner than expected! Yeah, this chapter was already written on beforehand. Only fair for it to be uploaded earlier, what with the long wait and all. Anyway...**

 **Last time we saw Mike and Nathalie take off on their journey. Before they made their way through, they decided to set up camp so that they wouldn't have to sleep inside the forest. Mike also managed to save a young boy called Randy from Pewter City.**

* * *

 _Viridian Forest  
23 June 2008, 9:48 AM_

"Come on!" Nathalie commanded, "If we hurry, we'll be able to get through Viridian Forest before noon!"

Mike sighed. They woke up especially early today to escort Randy back to Viridian Forest. He didn't like it one bit. The worst wasn't even the early wake-up call, but having to promise Nathalie to not battle any trainer on the way.

"So, Randy," Mike said, trying to make a small talk, "You want to become a Pokémon trainer, right? Any particular reason for that?"

The boy nodded lightly. Randy seemed to still be uncomfortable around Mike and Nathalie, and Mike couldn't really blame him for that. They were practically strangers to each other, even though Mike had saved him. "My brother told me that training Pokémon is a lot of fun... And I really like playing with my father and brother's Pokémon too."

"I can imagine that's fun," Mike smiled, "Which kinds of Pokémon do they have?"

Randy thought for a moment. "My brother only has two, Geodude and Cubone. And father has so many different Pokémon that it's difficult to name them all."

Mike nodded. "Geodude and Cubone, huh?" he mused, taking out his Pokédex.

 _"Geodude, the rock Pokémon. When Geodude sleeps deeply, it buries itself halfway into the ground. It will not awaken even if hikers step on it unwittingly. In the morning, this Pokémon rolls downhill in search of food."_

 _"Cubone, the lonely Pokémon. Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the Pokémon wears are made by the tears it sheds."_

Mike was about to put his Pokédex away again, when he heard a loud chirp that could only come from a Flying-type Pokémon. He looked up to see three Pidgey sitting in the tree above him. Realizing he had never seen Pidgey's Pokédex data so far, he opened his 'dex again.

 _"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings."_

Mike grinned, putting away his Pokédex and taking out a Poké Ball in its place. "Alright, long overdue, but it's time to finally do this!"

"You're going to try to catch one of them?" Nathalie cried.

"You bet!" Mike replied, running forward and throwing out the Poké Ball that contained Elekid. "Elekid, let's go!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid emerged in a flash of energy, looking defiantly at the Pidgey. Electricity sparkled between his antennae.

"Use Thunder Shock!" Mike commanded.

"Eleeee!" Elekid raised his arms in the air, and shot a small jolt of electricity at the Pidgey that sat on the left.

"Pidg? Geyy!" The Pidgey quickly flew up, dodging Thunder Shock and looking accusingly at Mike and Elekid. "Pidg!" All three of them unleashed their Gust attacks.

"Ahhh!" Mike cried out as he was caught in the wind. He was sent tumbling back, the Poké Ball he wanted to catch Pidgey with flying out of his hand. Elekid landed on his trainer's chest, earning him a groan from Mike.

"Gey!" one of the Pidgey chirped before flying off with its two friends.

Nathalie and Randy approached Mike, who was still lying on the ground. "Are you okay?" Nathalie asked, her hands covering her mouth.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Mike grumbled. He stood up, picking Elekid from his chest, and dusted off his clothes. "Hey, where's my Poké Ball?"

Nathalie looked over her shoulder. The Poké Ball lied right in front of a bush, and a small, green Pokémon came crawling out of it, interested in the object. "Right there, and it's got company."

"Huh." Elekid jumped off his trainer, and Mike sat up straight, taking out his Pokédex.

 _"Caterpie, the worm Pokémon. Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor."_

"Mike?" Nathalie piped up, "You might want to get up for a moment, because..."

The Caterpie accidentally hit the spherical middle of the Poké Ball, and its essence got sucked inside it. The Poké Ball shook once...twice...and then stayed still.

"...Because of that," Nathalie continued. "Congratulations on your first capture." Mike could hear that she had trouble to suppress her laughter.

"Well, uh..." Mike approached the Poké Ball hesitantly. He didn't want the Caterpie to suddenly pop up and scare him. He had made a fool out of himself enough times already. "I guess I caught a Caterpie?"

"Eleee," Elekid scratched his head and laughed embarrassedly at the capture.

Mike picked up the ball and went with his Pokédex over it. "Apparently Caterpie is female, has the ability Shield Dust, and knows Tackle and String Shot."

Nathalie patted Mike's back. "It's not all bad," she assured him, "Caterpie may be a little weak now, but it evolves soon. So you'll have a powerful Pokémon then."

"That's not the problem, though," Mike sighed, "I wasn't able to capture her on my own. My Poké Ball simply rolled out of my hand. Caterpie literally captured herself."

"Uh..." Randy chimed in, "Mike, you're going to challenge the gym in Pewter City, right?" Both Mike and Nathalie turned towards him, which made the young boy blush slightly in embarrassment. "I don't think Caterpie will be much use against the gym leader there."

Mike briefly glanced at the Poké Ball that contained his new Pokémon? "Why not?" he asked hesitantly.

"The gym leader is an user of Rock-type Pokémon," Randy explained, "Bug-types don't really match up well against those, at all." Randy pondered over something for a moment. "Though, to be honest, Pidgey wouldn't have stood much of a chance either."

"Oh great," Mike said, "So let me check if I got this right. He's not only a more powerful trainer, but he also has a type advantage over my Pokémon."

"That's... Yeah, I think that's what I said," Randy replied.

Mike bit his lip in frustration. "Anyway. I haven't really met Caterpie here yet, so maybe now would be a good time." Pushing the middle of the Poké Ball, he released his newly captured Caterpie out of her Poké Ball. "Hey, uh, hello there, Caterpie!"

The small Bug-type Pokémon looked at Mike, and then surveyed her surroundings nervously. "Cater? Caterpie?"

"Caterpie, uh... How should I say this?" Mike scratched his neck. "You kind of got captured when you nuzzled this." He held up Caterpie's Poké Ball. "So now you're part of my Pokémon team, which consists of...well, you and Elekid."

"Eleee!" Elekid waved at Caterpie from behind Mike's back.

"Pie?" Caterpie looked at Mike and Elekid, a little unsure.

"So what I'm asking is basically this," Mike continued, taking a deep breath, "Are you okay with joining my Pokémon team, Caterpie?"

Caterpie looked at Mike hesitantly, and for a moment Mike was afraid that she'd just crawl away. But then a smile appeared on her face. "Pie!" Caterpie nodded.

"Does that mean you want to come with us, Caterpie?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Caterpie!" the Bug-type nodded again.

"All right!" Mike cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

Nathalie and Randy looked at the trio from afar. "I guess that means Caterpie wants to stay?" Nathalie asked.

Mike walked up to them, Caterpie on his shoulders. "Of course she wants to stay! Isn't that right, Caterpie?"

"That went faster than I expected, in a lot of ways," Nathalie sighed.

"That's all very good, but we should still go on," Randy chimed in, "I mean, we want to reach Pewter City soon, right?"

"I guess you're right," Mike smiled, "Let's go!"

* * *

 _Viridian Forest  
23 June 2008, 1:09 PM_

"We shouldn't be too far away from Pewter City now," Nathalie said, taking another look at her map, "About 30 minutes left, I think?"

"Yay!" Randy cheered, "Finally back home!"

Mike cracked a smile at the young boy's cheerful behavior. Since his capture of Caterpie, he had seen the boy become more open and friendly towards Nathalie and him.

"Maybe we'll even come across my big brother on the way," Randy continued hopefully, "I mean, he's probably worried about me, and maybe came looking for me!"

Mike looked at Nathalie, and saw that she had to smile as well. "Who knows?" Nathalie mused, "But the sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Ha!" The sudden laughter made Mike jump. "Ha ha ha! Yes, little girl, that would be good indeed." A young man in his early twenties came into view. His brown shirt was stained with green patches from what seemed to be plant sap. His blue jeans were ragged, as if he didn't care about how he came across.

Randy gasped. "That's him!" he whispered, "That's the guy who scared me away..."

The man smiled. "If it isn't the little crybaby from yesterday. I see that you brought along some friends with you this time." He shrugged. "Not that it's gonna help you."

"Leave us alone!" Mike shouted at him, "We don't want any trouble, ok? We just want to pass to Pewter City!"

"Ah ah ah!" The guy shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. You see, Viridian Forest is the domain of me, Willy the Bug-type master! And trespassers must pay me toll before they are allowed to pass!"

"Excuse me?" Nathalie fumed, "Viridian Forest is public property! You can't just claim it like that!"

"Oh. But I just did." Willy smirked evilly. "So what are you gonna do about it? C'mon, pay the toll or scram!"

Mike clenched one of the Poké Balls in his fists. "A Pokémon battle!" he heard himself blurt out, "If I win, you'll give us free passage to Pewter City!"

"Interesting." Willy took out a Poké Ball of his own. "And what do I get in return?"

Mike gritted his teeth. "If I lose, I'll pay the toll for the three of us."

Nathalie grabbed his arm. "Mike, no! You don't even know if you have enough money for that on you!"

Mike shook her off. "Sorry, but I can't let this pass." He turned back to Willy. "So, we got a deal?"

"This oughta be fun." Willy threw out his Poké Ball. A purple Pokémon that looked like a hairy cotton ball with abnormally big, red eyes materialized out of it. "Let's go, Venonat!"

"Venonat?" Mike wondered as he took out his Pokédex.

 _"Venonat, the insect Pokémon. Venonat is said to have evolved with a coat of thin, stiff hair that covers its entire body for protection. It possesses large eyes that never fail to spot even miniscule prey."_

"So, which opponent will you choose for my Venonat?" Willy smirked, "Your Elekid, maybe? Or rather that Caterpie sitting on your shoulder?" He let out a sharp laugh. "A Caterpie. Even some Bug-types just aren't worth training."

Mike had to do his best to remain calm. "Let's go, Elekid!"

"Eleee!" Elekid darted forward and glared at Willy and Venonat defiantly. "Eleeee!" Electricity sparkled between his antennae.

"You can have the first move," Willy shrugged, "It won't really matter in the end anyways."

Mike groaned. This guy's arrogance meter was off the scales. "Elekid, attack with a Thunder Shock!" he commanded.

"Eleeee!" From between his antennae, Elekid fired a small jolt of electricity at the Bug-type.

"Venoooh!" Venonat cried as the attack made contact.

"Shrug that off, Venonat!" Willy ordered, "And strike back using a Confusion!"

"Venoooh." Venonat's eyes changed color to become blue. At the same time, a light blue aura enveloped Elekid.

"Eleeee?" Elekid cried in alarm as he was thrown back by the attack.

"Elekid, are you okay?" Mike called.

"Eleee!" The Electric-type got back to his feet and gave Mike a nod, signaling that he was still good to go.

"Alright then, follow up with Quick Attack!"

"Eleeeee!" In a flash, Elekid disappeared, charging at blinding speed at the Venonat.

Willy smirked. "Stop it in its tracks. Use Supersonic!"

"Venooooh!" Venonat let out odd sounds waves. Elekid suddenly stopping running as the waves reached him, clutching his head before looking around disoriented.

"Elekid?" Mike called, "What's wrong?"

"Eleeeee?" Elekid turned to the direction Mike's voice came from, but it seemed like he was unable to actually see his trainer.

"Watch out, Mike!" Nathalie warned, "Supersonic is a move that confuses your opponent! So Elekid will have trouble following your orders now!"

Mike gritted his teeth. Great. "Elekid, try another Quick Attack!"

"Eleee?" Elekid tried to run forwards, but he fell straight on his face.

Willy let out a laugh. "Nice attempt. Venonat, use Tackle!"

"Venoooh!" Venonat launched itself forwards, tackling Elekid with a full-body attack. The Electric-type was thrown back by the impact, but when he got back up, his eyes still stared into the distance.

"Snap out of it, Elekid!" Mike yelled, "Try to use Leer!"

Elekid turned around and glared menacingly, but not at Venonat. Mike took a step back when he saw his own Pokémon leering at him. Caterpie hid her face behind Mike's hair.

"Seems like this match is as good as over," Willy shrugged, "Can't say I'm surprised. Venonat, end up with Leech Life!"

"Venoooh!" Venonat jumped forwards, sinking its teeth in Elekid's right shoulder.

"Eleee!" Elekid cried out as Venonat's small teeth protruded his body.

"Be careful!" Nathalie cried at Mike, "Leech Life drains some of Elekid's energy and adds it to Venonat's!"

Mike gritted his teeth. If Elekid wouldn't snap out of his confusion now, this match would probably be over. "Concentrate, Elekid!" Mike commanded, trying to reach out with his voice to the confused mind of Elekid, "Pull yourself together!"

Elekid, still in pain because of the Venonat biting down on his shoulder, blinked a few times, before his eyes regained their usual naughty gleam. "Eleeee!"

"Alright!" Mike cheered, "Get Venonat off your body by using Thunder Shock, Elekid!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid zapped the Venonat clutching oh him, which made the latter release its teeth. Venonat bounced back a few steps.

"Elekid, Leer, quickly!" Mike called out.

"Eleee!" This time, Elekid's glare did reach its intended target. A sweatdrop appeared on Venonat's hairy body as the Bug-type took a step back.

"And now follow up with Quick Attack!" Mike quickly added.

"Eleeee!" Elekid buzzed forwards, aiming for Venonat's body.

"Supersonic again!" Willy commanded, looking at Venonat disapprovingly for not finishing it off.

"Venoooh!" The strange sonic waves made their way for Elekid again, but this time the Electric-type was prepared for them. Elekid quickly darted to the right, dodging Supersonic, before slamming into Venonat. "Venoooh!"

"Come on! Don't give in, Venonat!" Willy commanded, "Tackle, quickly!"

"Venoooh!" Venonat quickly recovered and struck Elekid with a full-body attack while the Electric-type was still close.

"Eleee!" Elekid cried out as he was sent flying back. He landed on his backside.

"Elekid, are you okay?" Mike asked, concerned.

Elekid was covered in bruises, but fury shone in his eyes. "Eleee!" Elekid buzzed, getting up to face Venonat.

"I have to admit that that's a brave small Pokémon," Willy grinned, "But it's over nonetheless. Venonat, Confusion!"

"Venoooh!" Venonat's eyes became blue again, and Elekid was slammed against the ground with psychic willpower.

"Elekid!" Mike cried in alarm, running over to him.

"So, ready to forfeit the match then?" Willy asked menacingly, "Or do you want to hurt your Elekid even further?"

Mike gritted his teeth, but he knew that Elekid couldn't take a lot anymore. One more attack, and Venonat would overpower him. "I... I fo-"

A brown stream of sand came out of the bushes. Venonat cried in alarm as the stream hit it, and trapped it in a small column of sand.

"What?" Willy's arrogant smile faded for a moment as he looked in disbelief at the column that separated Venonat and him. "What's this?"

A small yellow-and-white Pokémon came running out of the bushes, facing the column of sand.

"Hey, isn't that...?" Mike asked.

"It is!" Nathalie cheered, "It's Sandshrew!"

"Sand!" Sandshrew briefly looked over his shoulder and gave the group a thumbs-up before turning towards Venonat again. Mike didn't know what baffled him more, Sandshrew suddenly showing up to defend them, or Pokémon knowing how to do a thumbs-up.

"Come on, Venonat!" Willy roared, "We can't be defeated by a wild Pokémon like that! Break out of that tomb with Confusion!"

Weak blue energy surrounded the column of sand. The sand dissipated, and Venonat reappeared in sight. The purple Pokémon appeared to have reached its limit.

"Shrew!" Sandshrew sprung forwards, scraping his claws over Venonat's face with his Scratch. Venonat collapsed, its red eyes losing its bright shine.

Willy breathed heavily. He looked angry enough to explode any moment. "This doesn't count!" he fumed, "This Sandshrew isn't even one of your Pokémon!"

"But technically Elekid wasn't knocked out yet," Mike grinned, "And your Venonat now is. So..."

Willy's nostrils twitched with anger. "So that's how you're gonna play it?" he said, regaining his composure, "Fine. Have it your way." He recalled Venonat, but then took out another Poké Ball. "Though I don't remember saying anything about how many Pokémon each side was allowed to use."

"That's not fair!" Nathalie protested.

"Sandshrew wasn't fair either!" Willy sneered, "Besides, we're playing on my field. Fair doesn't apply here." He threw out the Poké Ball. A big brown Pokémon with two huge, spiky pincers on its head emerged.

 _"Pinsir, the stag beetle Pokémon. Pinsir is astoundingly strong. It can grip a foe weighing twice its weight in its horns and easily lift it. This Pokémon's movements turn sluggish in cold places."_

"This could be a problem," Mike said, putting away his Pokédex.

"'Could be'?" Nathalie fumed, "How are we ever going to get past this?"

"I assume that you'll use Sandshrew for this battle, then?" Willy smugly asked, "Or would you rather use Caterpie? Using that one would make this a lot less tedious. Because, let's be serious, you can't beat me with those Pokémon. Not even if they all attack together."

Mike gritted his teeth in frustration. He doubted that Sandshrew or Caterpie had the power to defeat this Pokémon, but he had to at least try. "Get ready, Sandshrew!" Mike commanded.

Sandshrew looked at Mike for a moment, before nodding vigorously. "Shrew!" The Ground-type took up a battle stance. "Sand! Shrew!"

Willy laughed maliciously. "Let's make this a quick one, shall we, Pinsir? Use-"

"How about you pick on someone of your own strength?" a deep voice interrupted him. When Mike saw the boy that the voice belonged to, he was surprised at his age. He had expected a muscular, grown man. This boy was just a boy, only a little older than Mike, he guessed. He wore a brown shirt, and khaki-colored jeans. His sand-colored cap had almost the same color as his short hair.

Randy's eyes started to sparkle. "Big bro!" he yelled excitedly.

The boy raised his hand in what could be either a greeting or a sign to shut up. "You." He pointed at Mike. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, but I'll take it over from here."

Before Mike could respond, Willy turned towards the boy with a sneer. "If you want to be the first to go down, then be my guest! Pinsir, go!"

Randy's brother took out a Poké Ball. "Geodude, go!"

The Pokémon that emerged looked like a regular gray rock, except that it had a face and two arms. "Dude."

"You'll need more than a type advantage to get through my Pinsir!" Willy boasted, "Attack with X-Scissor, now!"

"Piiiin!" Pinsir dashed forwards, its two pincers shining green in an X-like form.

"Geodude," the boy calmly responded, "Use Harden!"

"Geo." Geodude crossed its arms over his body, and prepared itself for the impact of Pinsir's X-Scissor. When the attack made contact, Geodude was still thrown back, but didn't seem to have taken a lot of damage.

"Follow up with a Rollout, now!" the boy commanded.

"Geo." The Geodude made a gesture that looked somewhat like a nod, but seeing Geodude do it looked really weird as literally its entire body was its face. Geodude curled up into a ball and started rolling towards the bigger Bug-type.

"Sirrrr!" Pinsir cried in alarm as the attack made contact. Pinsir briefly dropped to one knee, but got back up quickly.

"That's a fast Geodude!" Nathalie said.

"Isn't it? Isn't it?" Randy was almost jumping up and down in excitement. "My brother's Geodude is really tough, don't worry! He has this match in the bag!"

"We'll just see about that!" Willy growled, "Pinsir, Seismic Toss, go!"

"Piiin!" Pinsir dashed at Geodude, his pincers aimed at the Rock/Ground-type Pokémon.

"Don't let it!" the boy commanded, "Stop it in its tracks with Rock Throw!"

"Geo." A rock appeared to form in Geodude's hand. The Rock/Ground-type launched it at the approaching Pokémon, which hit it square on the forehead.

"Piiiin!" Pinsir winced in pain, stumbling back.

"Finish it off, Geodude," Randy's brother called, "Rollout!"

"Geo." Geodude curled itself up into a ball again, and launched itself at Pinsir. When the attack made contact, Pinsir took a few steps back, before collapsing on its back. There were swirls in its eyes.

Mike stood in awe. The boy's Geodude took out Willy's Pinsir way more quickly than he had ever expected to happen. Of course it had the type advantage, but still.

Willy's eyes were filled with hatred as he recalled his Pinsir. "Don't you dare ever forget this..."

"Tyler," the boy cut him off, "Tyler Gable, from Pewter City, if you ever want to look me up."

Without another word, the fuming Willy turned around and ran away through the bushes, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Randy ran up to Tyler, hugging his big brother tightly. "Big bro, that was awesome! Geodude, you did great too!"

"Geo," the Pokémon responded, a smile appearing on its face.

"That guy was all bark and no bite," Tyler shrugged, recalling his Geodude, "No trouble for Geodude at all." He turned towards Mike and Nathalie. "So, who are these two?"

Mike was the first one to step forwards. "I'm Mike Redwood, from Pallet Town. I just started out my Pokémon journey. These are my Pokémon, Elekid and Caterpie."

"Eleee!" Elekid still looked kind of hurt, but it greeted Tyler anyway.

"Cater!" Caterpie reappeared on Mike's shoulder.

"And I'm Nathalie Willard, from Viridian City," Nathalie introduced herself, "Same as Mike, just started out."

"I see," Tyler nodded, before pointing at the Sandshrew, "That Sandshrew, does it belong to either one of you?"

Mike and Nathalie looked at each other. "Well, uh..." Mike started.

"Saaand!" Sandshrew walked over to Mike, and happily patted against his leg. "Shrew!"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Seems like Sandshrew wants you as its trainer, Mike." He sighed. "A shame. I would've gladly added it to my team. Not that I mean it won't be in good hands with you, but... Ah, you know what I mean."

Mike knelt down to face Sandshrew. "Sandshrew, is that true? You want to go with me?"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew raised his arms in the air, trying to show off his muscles, which earned him a smile from Mike.

Nathalie looked a little hurt. "I wonder why Sandshrew prefers to go with you rather than me. I mean, I was the one who battled with him in the exam..."

"Maybe Sandshrew is interested in battling and taking on the gyms?" Mike suggested.

"Sand!" Sandshrew vigorously nodded to tell the two trainers that Mike was right.

"I guess that makes sense," Nathalie sighed, "It makes me wonder how Sandshrew knew you would be taking on the gyms, though." She looked at the Ground-type. "How long have you been spying on us now?"

Sandshrew scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Saaand..."

"Anyway, I don't know whether you're allowed to keep Sandshrew, either," Nathalie continued.

"What?" Mike looked at her in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be allowed to?"

"Well, to be completely fair, Sandshrew still is one of Mr. DeNigro's Pokémon," Nathalie replied, "I don't think you can even capture him with a Poké Ball, since his must have been left behind at the school."

"I guess you're right," Mike sighed, "Once we get to Pewter City, I'll try to phone the professor in the Pokémon Center."

"I think that would be for the best, yes," Nathalie nodded.

"Hey, are you two ready?" Tyler called, surprising the both of them, "Randy and I will be heading to Pewter City now, so if you two want to follow..."

"Yeah, we're coming!" Mike recalled Elekid to his Poké Ball -he wasn't sure how bad the Electric-type's injuries were- and joined Tyler and Randy, followed by Nathalie and Sandshrew. "Let's go!"

"By the way, Mike," Tyler said as they started their final hike towards Pewter City, "I heard you were going to challenge the Pewter City gym. Is that true?"

Mike nodded. "I'm going to do my best to get badges, so I can enter the Pokémon League tournament."

"That's a nice goal to have," Tyler grinned, "Hold that thought."

* * *

 _Pewter City Pokémon Center  
23 June 2008, 4:48 PM_

"Mike, is that you?" Professor Oak's face appeared on the monitor screen in the Pokémon Center. "And Nathalie too! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hi, professor!" Mike greeted. Behind his back, Nathalie waved at the Pokémon professor.

"I'm glad to see that the two of you have already reached Pewter City," Oak smiled, "Though I have to admit that I heard from Mark that he has reached it as well."

Mike and Nathalie exchanged glances. Apparently Mark had reached Pewter City before them, and chances were that he was still around. Mike shook the thought off.

"By the way, have either one of you caught any Pokémon so far?" Oak asked, "You know that you can only carry six Pokémon with you at a time, and that you can send the others to me, right?"

"Of course, professor!" Nathalie piped up, "But there's something else we wanted to talk about."

Mike nodded. "We've got a little problem on our hands. Or rather, a little problem-maker."

Oak's smile turned into a frown. "Sandshrew?" he guessed.

Mike was taken aback for a moment, before giving the professor another nod. "Sandshrew followed us all the way through Viridian Forest. He, uh, he apparently wants to join my team and challenge the gyms all over Kanto."

Oak scratched his chin. "You know, when Shawn told me that Sandshrew had ran off, I suspected he would follow one of the new trainers." He held up a Poké Ball. "I told Shawn about this, and he handed me Sandshrew's Poké Ball. If one of you would come across Sandshrew..."

"We would have contacted either you or the police first," Nathalie concluded.

"Exactly," Oak nodded, "So where's Sandshrew now?"

"He's currently being examined by Nurse Joy, professor," Mike replied, "Together with Elekid and Caterpie. We had a small argument with a rogue trainer in Viridian Forest..."

"That's lightly put," Nathalie muttered.

"...So I thought that bringing them all in wouldn't be a bad idea," Mike concluded.

The professor nodded. "You made the right choice. Good to hear you caught a Caterpie as well, by the way. Anyway, about Sandshrew..." The transporter system attached to the phone began to buzz. In a flash, a Poké Ball materialized in front of Mike and Nathalie.

Mike looked at the Poké Ball, then at the professor. "Does this mean...?"

Oak smiled. "Shawn told me that whoever Sandshrew followed, they would be a good trainer for him. Take good care of Sandshrew, will you?"

"I will!" Mike cheered, "Thanks, professor!"

"Don't worry about it. Good luck in your upcoming gym battle, Mike!" And with that, the screen faded. Professor Oak's image disappeared.

Mike held the Poké Ball in his hands as if it was a treasure. "The Pewter City gym uses Rock-types. So that means that Sandshrew will be really useful there!" Mike beamed.

"You're right!" Nathalie smiled, "Apparently you'll stand a chance there after all!"

"Excuse me?" Mike huffed.

"Hey, Mike, Nathalie," a voice interrupted them. Tyler walked up to them, accompanied by a tanned man with spiky brown hair. He seemed like he was in his late twenties or early thirties. His green shirt fitted somewhat well with his khaki trousers.

"Hello," the man held out his hand for Mike and Nathalie to shake it, "You two are the ones to help out Tyler's brother in Viridian Forest, right?"

"That's right," Mike said, shaking the man's hand, "Who are you?"

Nathalie gave Mike a poke in his ribs, but the man just laughed. "It's okay, it's okay," he said, apparently having noticed Nathalie's attempt to shut Mike up, "My name's Brock. I'm the Pewter City gym leader."

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone that has reviewed the previous chapter! I'm really flattered that all three of you are still around to read my story, despite how long it has been since the previous chapter was uploaded.**

 **To pokemonking0924- the story has more or less already been fleshed out, but there could be still some details fleshed out here and there. Should you have any ideas, don't hesitate to PM me!**

 **To SleepyGoron- it's been some time, eh? Thanks to you for still sticking around too!**

 **To Talarc- actually, the original idea was to have Mike lose against Tessa, but I decided to change things around. I felt like Nathalie's background was a little... I dunno, cringe-y at first. To be fair, her parents don't hate her or anyway, they're just disappointed that Nathalie can't compare to Bryce. Anyway, thanks for still being around to you too!**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid:  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Ability: Static  
\- Moves: Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Caterpie:  
\- Female  
\- Bug-type  
\- Ability: Shield Dust  
\- Moves: Tackle, String Shot

Sandshrew:  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Ability: Sand Rush  
\- Moves: Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur:  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Ability: Overgrow  
\- Moves: Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle


	5. Chapter 5: A Rock-Hard Gym Battle

**Anyone who is at this point not surprised about my lack of updates for months anymore, raise a hand!**

 **Sorry, guys. I'm not good at keeping a long story going at a consistent updating pace. Even though I had this chapter already nearly completely written out, I still hadn't published it yet. I can't guarantee that I will be updating consistently from now on -heck, making those promises will only blow up in my face- but this story and its protagonists keeps me interested. That's the reason I keep coming back for it. So while updates will be slow at best, I'll do my best to keep the story going. For now, I got a burst of inspiration, so it's likely that at least three chapters will get uploaded before my inspiration dies down again.**

 **Apologies to all my followers again. I hope this update won't disappoint. It's slightly longer than most of the others, so there's that too.**

 **Last chapter, we saw Mike face off against Willy in Viridian Forest. Willy got the upper hand rather quickly, nearly knocking out Elekid with his Venonat, but then Sandshrew appeared to help and defeated Venonat. When Willy sent out his Pinsir, Randy's older brother Tyler appeared, who used Geodude to knock out Pinsir as well. After professor Oak let Mike know he could keep Sandshrew, our protagonists meet Brock, Pewter City's gym leader, for the first time.**

* * *

 _Pewter City Pokémon Center  
23 June 2008, 5:13 PM_

Brock leaned back in his chair. "So let me get this straight. You were threatened by a man- no, more like a boy, that asked you to pay toll to cross Viridian Forest? And when you refused, he bullied you into a Pokémon battle?" Mike and Nathalie both nodded. "Alright. I'll go report this to the authorities right away." Brock let out a sigh. "It's incredible. The laws on becoming a Pokémon trainer have become so much stricter to prevent these things from happening, and somehow they still manage to get their hands on Pokémon."

Mike, Nathalie, Tyler and Brock had settled down on one of the tables at the Center. Mike still could hardly believe that he was having a casual conversation with the local gym leader.

"Oh, before I forget." Brock turned to Mike. "Tyler told me that you will be challenging my gym soon. Is that true?"

"Yes!" Mike confirmed, "Actually, that was my main reason for coming here!"

"Really?" Brock grinned. "I would think that the Pewter Museum of Science is more interesting...but I guess all new trainers want to compete in the League tournament these days."

"Hold on." Nathalie raised her hand. "A science museum?"

Brock nodded. "The biggest one in all of Kanto. There are various exhibits, including a rare meteorite from space and a scale model of a space shuttle. And some fossils of ancient Pokémon," he added, giving Mike a wink.

Nathalie's eyes sparkled, and Mike groaned. He had a vague idea of what Nathalie would want them to do tomorrow. "So, uh, Brock," Mike quickly said, "Is it possible for me to challenge your gym tomorrow?"

"Normally you need to show your trainer card before you can make a challenge, but that's just a formality. I think." Brock scratched his chin. "I think there should be a space left, yes. I have to make sure with the receptionist, but I'm fairly sure that there's still a free slot at around...4:30 PM? Would that be okay?"

"That's completely fine!" Mike smiled, "Thanks!" He turned towards Nathalie and smiled sheepishly. "Looks like I won't be able to tag along to the museum."

"What?" Nathalie cried, "You only have your battle in the afternoon! There's more than enough time for us to pay a visit to the museum before!"

"But I have to train to get ready for my gym battle!" Mike retorted.

"Then train after we went there!" Nathalie huffed angrily. Mike let out a sigh. He wasn't going to win this argument.

Brock smiled. "You have no gym badges so far, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Mike responded, somewhat embarrassed.

Brock nodded. "That's fine. Everyone has to start somewhere. In that case, our battle will two-on-two, meaning each side can only use two Pokémon. Is that okay?"

Mike internally sighed with relief. If Brock had asked for a battle in which more than two Pokémon had to be involved, Mike would probably be in serious trouble. "That's fine with me!"

"Good." Brock got up. "And now I'll be off to warn the local authorities to keep an eye out for... His name was Willy, right? For Willy." He waved at the trio sitting at the table. "I look forward to our battle tomorrow, Mike."

As Brock walked out of the Center, Mike and Nathalie turned towards Tyler. "That was Brock," Mike said bluntly, "The Pewter City gym leader."

Tyler shrugged. "That was him alright, yes."

"How come you know him?" Nathalie asked.

"Is he family of yours, maybe?" Mike added.

"No, he's no family of mine," Tyler laughed, "We're just...acquaintances." He grinned slyly. "It's not that weird to be acquainted with someone, is it?"

Nathalie held up her hands in defense. "No, of course not! We were just interested, that's all!"

"Anyway," Tyler continued, "You two should probably book a room in the Center for tonight. It's better than sleeping out there." He gestured at the trees that were visible through the Center's window.

"Fair enough," Mike shrugged, "But first-"

"Excuse me?" Mike was cut off by a nurse. She carried four Poké Balls in her arms. Following behind her were Sandshrew and the nurse's Chansey. "Your Pokémon, Sandshrew included, have been fully healed," she let the three trainers know, putting the four Poké Balls on the table in front of them, "Have a nice day!"

"Thank you!" Mike called after her as she left, before taking out his Pokédex. He realized he hadn't scanned Chansey's Pokédex data yet.

 _"Chansey, the egg Pokémon and the evolved form of Happiny. Chansey lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are so delicious, they are easily and eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite."_

"Wait, that item in Chansey's pouch is an egg?" Mike cried.

Nathalie rolled her eyes. "What did you think it was?"

"I dunno," Mike shrugged, "I figured it was something like a rock? Something that would be more useful in battle, at least."

Nathalie shook her head. "Not all Pokémon focus on battling."

"I guess you're right," Mike sighed, when he suddenly felt something tug at his trousers.

"Saaand?" Sandshrew looked up to him questioningly.

Mike smiled, holding up Sandshrew's ball in front of his face. "You know what this is, Sandshrew?" he grinned, "Professor Oak sent me your Poké Ball. You're now officially part of my team!"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew smiled back, giving Mike another thumbs-up. Mike still wasn't sure where the Ground-type learned this.

"Anyhow," Tyler picked up Geodude's Poké Ball from the table, "I guess I'll head home for now. In case I won't see you tomorrow, Mike, good luck with your gym battle!"

"See you!" Mike and Nathalie both called after him as he left the Center.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew cried, also waving.

"So..." Mike collected his two Poké Balls from the table, "Do you think that the rooms of the Centers allow Pokémon to sleep in them outside of their Poké Balls?"

Nathalie shook her head. "I don't think so. A lot of Pokémon are too big for the rooms. And then there are species that are dirty by nature."

Mike looked at Sandshrew, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, buddy. Looks like you're going to have to go in your Poké Ball again."

"Shreeew..." Sandshrew looked slightly disappointed.

"But don't worry!" Mike quickly added, "Tomorrow we'll have a full day, together with Elekid and Caterpie!" Nathalie cleared her throat. "Well, after we finished visiting the Pewter museum, that is..."

"That's better!" Nathalie smiled, "Now let's go book a room, shall we?"

* * *

 _Pewter Museum of Science  
24 June 2008, 10:28 AM_

"And this shuttle is a miniature version of the first space shuttle that ever reached the moon!" the guide, a middle-aged woman in a white suit, enthusiastically waved with her hand at the scale model. Most people in their group, including Nathalie, jostled around the glass that separated them from the shuttle.

Mike sighed. He was at the back of the group, not trying to push himself in. Nathalie woke him up at nine to visit the exhibit as soon as possible. On the bright side, he would have some time to train after the tour. On the less bright side, he was still half asleep, and the tour wasn't really helping with that.

"One of the astronauts in this space shuttle claimed to have seen the Pokémon Clefairy on the moon," the guide happily continued, "There has never been any proof that his claim was correct, but from that day onwards, people started to believe that Clefairy came from the moon! Furthermore..."

Not really paying attention to the guide anymore, Mike took out his Pokédex to check the data of Clefairy. It wasn't like he had much else to do.

 _"Clefairy, the fairy Pokémon and the evolved form of Cleffa. On every night of a full moon, groups of this Pokémon come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy return to their quiet mountain retreats and go to sleep nestled up against each other."_

"Huh," Mike mumbled, "That does sound like some kind of extra-terrestrial Pokémon." He put his Pokédex away and sighed. Wasn't the tour almost over yet?

"Excuse me," a voice right behind him called, almost making Mike jump in surprise, "You're a trainer, aren't you?" Mike turned around to see a middle-aged man in the same suit as his guide. "Aren't you interested in the exhibits?"

Mike looked at him for a moment, then shook his head. This man at least seemed somewhat understanding. "Not really, no. A friend dragged me here." He let out another sigh. "I'd prefer to train for my upcoming gym battle."

The man rubbed his chin. "Hmm... You're going to challenge Brock?"

Mike nodded. "That's right. But to be honest, I'm not sure that I'm ready yet."

"I see," the guide responded, still scratching his chin. He then turned around. "Follow me for a moment," he gestured at Mike. Mike's curiosity got the better of him, and he followed the guide to a display case. When Mike took a peek inside of it, he saw two curious-looking rocks. One of the rocks was more or less round, and had a spiral pattern on it. The other was a lot flatter, with two big holes on its sides.

"What are these?" Mike asked, not sure why the guide would take him apart to show them.

"These are fossils of ancient Pokémon," the guide explained, "Their names are Kabuto," he pointed at the flatter fossil, "and Omanyte."

"Kabuto and Omanyte?" Mike pondered, digging his Pokédex up from his pockets again.

 _"Kabuto, the shellfish Pokémon. Kabuto is a Pokémon that has been regenerated from a fossil. However, in extremely rare cases, living examples have been discovered. The Pokémon has not changed at all for 300 million years."_

 _"Omanyte, the spiral Pokémon. Omanyte is one of the ancient and long-since-extinct Pokémon that have been regenerated from fossils by people. If attacked by an enemy, it withdraws itself inside its hard shell."_

"Okay, that's actually pretty cool," Mike admitted, "But I don't know what this has to do with my gym battle against Brock."

The guide grinned. "Oh, you'll see. But please, keep following me." The guide walked away again, not waiting for Mike, so the latter had to hurry to not lose him. When the guide finally stopped in a new room, Mike's jaw dropped at what was in front of them. A skeleton of a huge winged Pokémon with razor-sharp teeth towered over the two of them.

"Is that... Is that a dragon fossil?" Mike stammered.

"A dragon?" The guide chuckled. "No, no! This is not a dragon! It's the fossil of another prehistoric Pokémon, a Rock/Flying-type that is called Aerodactyl."

 _"Aerodactyl, the fossil Pokémon. Aerodactyl is a Pokémon from the age of dinosaurs. It was regenerated from genetic material extracted from amber. It is imagined to have been the king of the skies in ancient times."_

"'King of the skies," the guide mused as Mike put his Pokédex away again, "Yes, that would be a good description of Aerodactyl, I think."

"It sure looks like a powerful Pokémon indeed," Mike agreed, "But..."

"You still don't get what it has to do with your gym battle, right?" the guide cut him off, "Kabuto and Omanyte lived in the seas. Aerodactyl was, as you heard, the king of the skies." He grinned slyly. "That's all the info I have for you. Good luck in your gym battle!"

* * *

 _Pewter City  
24 June 2008, 12:53 PM_

"I still can't believe you walked off on your own like that!" Nathalie fumed. The tour had ended a little more than an hour ago. The two of them were now having their lunch with their Pokémon out of their Poké Balls.

"I couldn't help it!" Mike cried, "I told you, that man asked me to follow him!"

"And have you never been taught that you should not just follow strangers?" Nathalie responded angrily.

"He was a guide!" Mike retorted, "And he offered me info about my upcoming gym battle!"

"That's not a valid excuse!" Nathalie fumed.

Elekid, Bulbasaur and Sandshrew exchanged amused glances at the sight of their trainers arguing. Caterpie, on the contrary, looked more concerned than anything else.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Mike held his hands up defensively, "In the future, I'll tell you that I'm abandoning you before actually doing it, alright?"

"Yes...wait, that's not what I meant!"

"Oww!" Mike groaned when Nathalie's Poké Ball hit his head, "You're supposed to capture Pokémon with those, not humans!"

"You can be so annoying sometimes!" Nathalie cried, picking her Poké Ball back up.

"Are you two always like this to each other?"

The two trainers turned around to see Tyler walk up to them. "Can you please stop popping up out of the blue without a warning?" Mike sighed.

"Heheh, sorry," Tyler chuckled, "Anyway, the reason I'm here is because Brock asked me to pass you a message, Mike. Apparently he made a mistake in his planning. Your match has been rescheduled to take place at 1:30 instead of 4:30."

"1:30?" Mike cried, "But that's in half an hour!"

"Yeah, I figure that's why Brock told me I had to hurry," Tyler mused.

Mike quickly recalled all his Pokémon and turned to Nathalie. "Are you still coming to cheer me on, or...?"

Nathalie looked at him angrily before recalling Bulbasaur herself. "Who knows what you're going to do out there without me to support you!"

Tyler crossed his arms. "The gym is about...twenty minutes away from here? So if we hurry, we'll be able to make it in time without a problem."

Mike quickly picked up all of his stuff and recalled his Pokémon. "Alright, let's hurry then!"

* * *

 _Pewter City Gym  
24 June 2008, 1:21 PM_

"What did I tell you?" Tyler grinned as they hurried into the gym, "Twenty minutes, nothing more!"

"You didn't mention that it would be twenty minutes of running instead of walking," Nathalie grumbled.

"Hello," the blonde-haired receptionist called from behind the counter, "Is challenger..." She looked at the papers on her desk, "...Mike Redwood one of you?"

"That's me!" Mike beamed at her.

"Good!" the receptionist smiled, "I presume Tyler has informed you that Brock made a mistake in his planning, and that your match will be held earlier?"

Tyler nodded. "I told him, yeah."

"Good, good. Was there something else...?" She started rummaging in her papers again. Mike got the feeling that the woman was a little air-headed. "Oh yes, may I have your trainer card, please? Thank you." As Mike handed her the card, she began to scan it. "There...we...go! All set!" She handed back the card.

"Thanks!" Mike smiled, accepting his trainer card.

"The battle will be held at 1:30 PM, which is..." she looked at her watch, "...In about three minutes. Good luck!" she smiled.

"Thank you!" Mike turned back to Nathalie and Tyler. "I wish I could have trained a little before my gym battle, though."

"You mean you didn't even take time to train?" Tyler noted skeptically.

"I didn't have any time to!" Mike protested, "We were in the museum all morning! I was planning to train this afternoon!"

Tyler grinned. "I hope you're ready for this battle, because you don't really sound like you are!"

"Thanks for the encouraging words," Mike sighed.

"I didn't mean it that way," Tyler assured him, "I'm sure you'll do great."

"Have you figured out which Pokémon you're going to use already?" Nathalie chimed in.

Mike held up two of his Poké Balls. "Sandshrew is a no-brainer. Ground-types have the advantage over Rock-types. As for my second Pokémon, I think I'm going with Elekid. Caterpie has never battled before and got the type disadvantage."

"I guess you're right," Nathalie sighed.

Just then, the doors to the gym's battlefield opened. "Your turn to battle, Mike!" the receptionist called.

"Alright!" he replied, before facing Nathalie and Tyler again, "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Tyler grinned, before pointing at a smaller corridor next to the door that just opened. "Nathalie, if you want to watch the battle, the stands are that way."

"Thanks," she nodded, before looking at Tyler in confusion, "Wait, aren't you coming with me?"

Tyler grinned slyly. "I'm coming with Mike to the battlefield."

Before Mike had the chance to protest, Tyler dragged him off to the field. It was clear from the lay-out that it was a gym built to battle in with Rock-type Pokémon. Multiple huge boulders were scattered on the earthen floor.

On the other side of the field, Brock smiled at the two boys who had just entered. "So you made it after all!" Brock greeted, "I wouldn't want you to miss your first gym battle because of a mistake on my part!"

Tyler walked past Mike and went to stand where the referee would normally be standing.

"Tyler?" Mike asked, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you," Tyler grinned, "Brock asked me to be the referee for this match, what with most of the other gym trainers currently looking for Willy in Viridian Forest."

"Oh, I see," Mike nodded, before he realized what Tyler had said, "Wait, most of the _other_ gym trainers?"

Tyler chuckled, but ignored the question. "This will be an official gym battle between the gym leader, Brock, and the challenger, Mike Redwood! The battle will be held in a two-on-two single battle format! The match will be over when all Pokémon on one side are knocked out! Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon!"

Mike was baffled at how serious Tyler took this. A quick glance to the other side of the field told him that Brock felt the same way. "You know you don't have to be this formal, right?" Brock called to Tyler.

"The gym leader has to choose the first Pokémon!" Tyler continued, ignoring Brock.

"Well, whatever," Brock shrugged, "Hey, Mike! Good luck to you!"

"Thanks!" Mike called back, "To you too!"

The spiky-haired leader pulled out his first Poké Ball. "I choose you, Geodude!"

"Geo." The same Pokémon as Tyler had used the day before materialized on the field. Mike feared this would happen. He saw how powerful Tyler's was, and he was afraid that Brock's would be even more powerful.

"Go, Sandshrew!" Mike called, throwing his first Poké Ball.

"Saaaand!" the Ground-type cried as he materialized on the field.

"I know this is only our first battle together, but I'm sure you'll do good, Sandshrew!" Mike stated.

"Shreew!" Sandshrew gave him one of his thumbs-up poses.

"The challenger gets the first move!" Tyler announced, "Ready? Begin!"

"All right, Sandshrew!" Mike commanded, "Start out with a Scratch!"

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew jumped forwards, his claws extended to attack Geodude. However, when the attack made contact, Geodude barely even moved.

"Geo." The Pokémon didn't even seem fazed by the Scratch.

"Keep it together, Mike!" Nathalie cried from the stands, "Rock-type Pokémon resist Normal-type attacks!"

"I know that, I know that!" Mike retorted.

"Geodude, counter with a Tackle!" Brock yelled.

"Dude." Geodude slammed into Sandshrew with all its weight, sending the Ground-type flying back.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew cried in surprise and pain.

"Are you okay, Sandshrew?" Mike asked.

"Shrew!" Sandshrew pulled himself back to his feet and nodded.

"Okay then!" Mike pointed at Geodude. "Follow up with a Sand Tomb!"

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew fired a stream of sand at Geodude. When the attack connected, Geodude found himself trapped in a spiral of sand.

"Geoooh?" the Rock/Ground-type cried in surprise.

"Don't give in, Geodude!" Brock called, "Defense Curl, now!"

"Geo." Geodude crossed his arms in front of his face, as if he tried to protect himself from the damage of Sand Tomb.

"What's he trying to do?" Mike muttered, "Sand Tomb will keep weakening Geodude, even if he uses Defense Curl in the middle of it!"

"Saaaand?" Sandshrew also looked confused.

"Just a little more now..." Brock waited five more seconds...ten more... "Now! Rock Throw, go!"

"Geo." Geodude created a rock in his arms. To Mike and Sandshrew's surprise, the rock destroyed the Sand Tomb without a problem when they made contact, and hit Sandshrew in the stomach.

"Saaaand?" Sandshrew grunted in surprise, pushing the rock off him.

"How did you break through Sandshrew's Sand Tomb that easily?" Mike wondered.

"Easy," Brock grinned, "The longer a Sand Tomb is up, the weaker it gets, making it easier for the Pokémon that is trapped in there to break out of it."

"I didn't know that!" Mike gasped.

"Pay a little more attention to your Pokémon's moves, Mike!" Nathalie called from the stands.

"Yes, I know now!" Mike huffed, "No problem, Sandshrew! Another Sand Tomb!"

"Shrew!" Sandshrew fired another stream of sand at Geodude, but this time the latter was prepared.

"Geodude, push yourself up to dodge the attack," Brock commanded.

"Dude." Geodude pushed his hands against the ground forcefully, and managed to jump up by doing so, dodging Sand Tomb rather easily.

"Follow up with Magnitude!" Brock continued.

"Geo." Geodude landed on the ground with a loud thud, making the ground shake. Shock waves made their way for Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew, jump up to dodge Magnitude!" Mike called.

"Shrew!" Sandshrew apparently had too much trouble balancing on the shaking floor, and wasn't able to jump. The shock waves made contact with Sandshrew, making the Ground-type cry out in pain. Sandshrew collapsed to one knee.

"Are you still okay, Sandshrew?" Mike questioned.

"Shrew!" Sandshrew pulled himself back up. Although having multiple bruises from Geodude's continuous attacks, he still managed to smile and give Mike a thumbs-up.

"Alright then!" Mike pondered over his next move for a moment, before issuing his order. "Get in closer with Scratch, Sandshrew!"

"Sand?" Sandshrew questioned, but acknowledged Mike's order anyway as he began to dash towards Geodude.

"Bad move, Mike!" Brock responded, "Geodude, Tackle, go!"

"Geo." Geodude launched himself at the approaching Sandshrew.

"Alright, Sandshrew!" Mike yelled, "Sand Tomb, quickly!"

"Saaaand!" One and a half seconds before Geodude would have slammed into Sandshrew, a stream of sand was blown into Geodude's face.

"Geooh?" Geodude cried in surprise as he found himself trapped in the Sand Tomb yet again.

"So that Scratch was just a diversion, huh..." Brock mumbled, "Geodude, Defense Curl!"

"Geo." Geodude curled himself up in a ball again.

"He's going to wait until Sand Tomb loses power again to break through it," Mike muttered. Despite the super effective attack wearing Geodude down slowly, the Rock/Ground-type's powerful attacks were quicker to tire Sandshrew out.

"Geodude, now!" Brock yelled, "Rock Throw, break through the pillar!"

"Geo." Just like the first time, a rock pierced through the tomb, which was aimed for Sandshrew yet again.

"Defense Curl, quickly!" Mike ordered.

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew curled up into a ball when Geodude's rock made contact. When Sandshrew emerged from his ball form, he seemed to be highly fatigued.

"Sandshrew, are you still good to go?" Mike asked.

"Saaand...!" Sandshrew tried to cry reassuringly, but it was obvious that he had reached his limit.

"That's not good..." Mike muttered, "I have to end this quickly somehow..."

"If this keeps up, Sandshrew won't be able to beat Geodude!" Nathalie called from the stands, "And then you'll be at a numerical disadvantage!"

Mike gritted his teeth. "Well aware!"

"Geodude, use Tackle!" Brock commanded.

"Dude." Geodude jumped at Sandshrew for a full-body attack.

Mike looked at the approaching Geodude for a split second when an idea hit him. "That's it! Sandshrew, climb the nearest of the boulders, quickly!"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew nodded before digging his claws into one of the boulders. He started climbing, and managed to narrowly dodge Geodude's attack by doing so.

"Geoooh?" Geodude cried in surprise as he slammed against the boulder with all his weight. The boulder began to tremble, making Sandshrew lose his grip. The Ground-type fell on top of Geodude.

"Sandshrew, quickly, Sand Tomb!" Mike followed up.

"Saaaand!" There was no time for Geodude to defend himself against Sandshrew's attack, as the Ground-type was clinging onto his head. Both Pokémon were enveloped by the pillar of sand.

"What?" Brock cried in surprise, "Geodude, Defense Curl, quickly!"

"Dude." Geodude crossed his arms in front of his body again, attempting to defend himself against the sand.

"Sandshrew, Scratch!" Mike called, "Wear Geodude down!"

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew extended his claws and began to strike Geodude with multiple Scratch attacks. They didn't seem to have much effect, but it helped to wear Geodude down.

"Geodude can't escape out of his Defense Curl as long as Sandshrew keeps up Scratch!" Mike grinned, "He's too tired to take many more of them!"

"That's true," Brock nodded, "That's also why I need to end this quickly! Geodude, grab Sandshrew's legs!"

"Geo." Geodude abandoned his defensive stance, forcefully holding onto Sandshrew's legs.

"Shrew?" Sandshrew cried in surprise when Geodude lifted him into the air.

"Now throw Sandshrew to the ground and use Magnitude!" Brock commanded.

"Dude." Geodude dropped Sandshrew brusquely. He lifted himself up into the air, and then slammed down on the ground.

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew cried in pain when the shock waves hit him at a very close range. The pillar of sand dissipated.

"Are you okay, Sandshrew?" Mike called in concern.

"Saaand..." Sandshrew replied weakly, lying on the ground in front of Geodude.

Geodude looked victoriously at him for a moment, before toppling forwards himself.

"Geodude!" Brock cried in alarm.

"Geoooh..." Geodude responded weakly.

"Geodude and Sandshrew are both unable to continue!" Tyler declared, "This round is a draw!"

"Good job, Mike!" Nathalie yelled.

"Thanks!" Mike grinned back, "Now to just keep this up!"

"I have to say I'm surprised," Brock noted, recalling Geodude, "I never imagined you'd trap Sandshrew in the Sand Tomb together with Geodude with the risk of knocking out your own Pokémon."

"I had no choice," Mike replied, also recalling Sandshrew, "If Geodude had managed to attack Sandshrew one more time after that Sand Tomb wore off, it would have been over."

"True, true," Brock mused, "You've been doing well so far. But I'm afraid this is where it ends!" He pulled out his second Poké Ball. "I choose you...Kabuto!"

In a flash, a brown shell with six small yellow feet appeared. Two creepy red orbs appeared underneath the shell. Mike realized these were its eyes.

"Kabuto?" Mike cried, remembering his tour through the Pewter museum, "But...but that's an extinct Pokémon!"

"Technology these days... I managed to resurrect my Kabuto from a dome fossil I found in Mt. Moon, years ago," Brock explained, "Now he's one of my trusty partners."

"Buto," Kabuto replied in a monotone voice.

Mike clenched his fists. What kind of Pokémon could he possibly use to best an ancient Pokémon like Kabuto?

 _"Kabuto and Omanyte lived in the seas."_

The guide's words echoed in Mike's head. If they lived in the seas, they were most likely partly Water-type Pokémon. Which meant they had a disadvantage against...

"All right!" Mike yelled, "Elekid, your turn!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried confidently as he popped out of his Poké Ball.

"Elekid, huh?" Brock crossed his arms. "Good choice, type-wise. But you'll need more than the type advantage to win against my Kabuto!"

"Is that so?" Mike retorted, "Let's see about that then! Thunder Shock, Elekid!"

"Eleeee!" Electricity sparkled between Elekid's antennae when a small jolt of electricity was shot at Kabuto.

"Take that attack, Kabuto!" Brock commanded, "Use Harden!"

"Buto." Kabuto's shell gleamed when the Thunder Shock connected. When the attack lifted, Kabuto seemed to still be mostly unharmed.

"What?" Mike cried in surprise.

"Let's go, Kabuto!" Brock called, "Use Mud Shot!"

"Kabu." Kabuto's two front legs hit the ground, and the Water/Rock-type shot a volley of mud at Elekid.

"Dodge that with Quick Attack, Elekid!" Mike quickly ordered.

"Eleeee!" Elekid darted out of the way just in time to dodge the incoming mud.

"Start running in circles around Kabuto!" Mike continued, remembering his battle with Tessa.

"Eleeeee!" Still using Quick Attack, Elekid started to run around Kabuto.

"Kabu." Kabuto tried to track Elekid's movements, but apparently the Electric-type was moving too quickly.

"Now, Thunder Shock!" Mike called.

"Eleeee!" Elekid brusquely stopped and fired an electric jolt at Kabuto, before resuming Quick Attack.

"Keep going, Elekid!" Mike cheered, "You're doing really well!"

"So that's your strategy?" Mike noticed that Brock hadn't opened his mouth as soon as Elekid had started his assault. "Kabuto, Aqua Jet."

"Kabu." Kabuto cloaked his body in water, and shot forwards into the circle Elekid was running in.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid cried in pain when he crashed into Kabuto's Aqua Jet. His Quick Attack cancelled out, and the Electric-type was thrown back.

"Follow up with Mud Shot, quickly!" Brock ordered.

"Kabu." Kabuto didn't seem to be hurt at all from Elekid's Quick Attack. He shot another volley of mud at Elekid, this time scoring a direct hit.

"Eleeee!" Elekid winced as the mud blasted against his chest. Elekid briefly collapsed, but then got back up.

"Are you alright, Elekid?" Mike called.

"Eleeee!" Elekid growled defiantly.

"Okay then!" Mike yelled, "Use Leer!"

"Eleee!" Elekid glared angrily at Kabuto.

"Kabu." Kabuto's behavior apparently didn't change, but Mike noticed that his feet started to twitch nervously.

"Don't give in, Kabuto!" Brock retorted, "Use Ancient Power!"

"Buto." A silver-gleaming huge rock formed in front of Kabuto. The Rock/Water-type shot it at Elekid.

"Quickly, dodge!" Mike called.

"Eleeee!" Elekid tried to run to the left, but moved slower than he usually did. The rock disappeared after hitting Elekid, but it was still clear that it did some damage.

"What?" Mike cried, "Elekid should have been able to easily dodge that attack!"

Brock shook his head. "Take a good look at Elekid's feet."

Mike narrowed his eyes as he followed Brock's order. He noticed small clumps of mud sticking on Elekid's feet.

"Mud Shot sometimes lowers the opponent's speed," Brock explained, "Which works in our favor against fast Pokémon. Like your Elekid!"

Mike gritted his teeth. "Shake that mud off your legs, Elekid!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid vigorously began to shake his legs and scrape the mud off them.

"Don't let them, Kabuto!" Brock countered, "Mud Shot again!"

"Kabu." Kabuto created another volley of mud and fired it at Elekid.

"Elekid!" Mike cried, "Dodge!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid jumped to one side, narrowly avoiding Mud Shot. Mike clenched his fists when he noticed that there was still some of the mud stuck on Elekid's feet.

"We need to finish this up quickly, Elekid!" Mike called, "Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeee!" Another jolt of electricity made its way for Kabuto.

"Kabuuuh!" Kabuto cried in surprise and pain when the Thunder Shock connected.

"Kabuto's too strong to get taken down by one super effective attack, Mike," Brock noted, "But let's see how much more Elekid can endure! Aqua Jet!"

"Buto." Kabuto cloaked his body in a stream of water and launched himself at Elekid.

"Don't let him!" Mike cried in alarm, "Use Thunder Shock again!"

"Eleeeee!" The familiar sound of Elekid's antennae sparkling could be heard again when Thunder Shock was fired.

"Change direction!" Brock commanded.

Without a word, Kabuto swerved to the left while executing Aqua Jet, deftly avoiding Thunder Shock. He followed up by crashing into Elekid at full power.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid winced in pain as he was blasted back by the impact. He landed on his back right in front of Mike.

"Elekid!" Mike yelled in concern, "Are you okay?"

"Eleeee..." Elekid responded weakly.

"Elekid is unable to continue!" Tyler announced, "Kabuto wins! The victory goes to the gym leader, Brock!"

"Oh no..." Mike muttered, before running over to Elekid. He kneeled in front of his Pokémon.

"Kiddd..." Elekid's eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Mike apologetically.

Mike forced himself to smile. "It's okay, Elekid. You did your best. Now take a good rest, okay?" Elekid nodded as Mike recalled him to his Poké Ball. When he got up again, he noticed Brock standing in front of him, holding out a hand. Mike took his hand to get back up again.

"You're not bad at all," Brock smiled, "But what you're lacking is experience. Your strategy to run around in circles with Quick Attack? I bet it worked in the past, but looking past it shouldn't be too hard for most experienced trainers."

Mike looked down. He put everything he had in the gym battle, and it still wasn't enough to beat Brock and Kabuto.

"Ah, don't be like that." Brock shook his head, putting his hand on Mike's shoulder. "You'll learn out of your mistakes, I'm sure. I look forward to our next battle!"

* * *

 **Yet again, an apology to all my readers, followers, etc. I know I'm not making this easy on you. If you took the time to read all of this, then thanks either way. If you have any feedback, please do give it as well! Always glad to get constructive criticism!**

 **Next chapter...well, who knows? I guess we'll see if I don't go around poofing for months again!**

 **That joke was in very bad taste. Bad me. Bad.**

 **Also, as a small note after updating, I may update some of the earlier chapters soon. I've noticed cases of Engrish or just oversights that should never have happened in there, so I'm planning on fixing those.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read through all this, and have a nice day!**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid:  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Ability: Static  
\- Moves: Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Caterpie:  
\- Female  
\- Bug-type  
\- Ability: Shield Dust  
\- Moves: Tackle, String Shot

Sandshrew:  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Ability: Sand Rush  
\- Moves: Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur:  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Ability: Overgrow  
\- Moves: Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle


	6. Chapter 6: A Rock-Hard Gym Rematch

**Happy New Year, everyone! I finished writing this chapter much, much earlier than I had expected to, mainly because it's the longest in the story up to date. I hope it won't disappoint!**

 **In the previous chapter, we saw Mike face off against Brock in his very first gym battle. Although Sandshrew and Geodude appeared to be evenly matched, Elekid bit the dust after battling Brock's Kabuto, handing Mike his very first loss.**

* * *

 _Pewter City Pokémon Center  
25 June 2008, 1:01 PM_

The doors of the Center buzzed open when a young boy with sand-colored hair, a brown shirt and khaki trousers entered. He had apparently left his cap at home for the day.

"Good morning!" the ever-friendly nurse of the Pokémon Center called over to him.

"'Morning," the boy responded absentmindedly. His eyes scooted over the tables at the Center, as if he was looking for something or someone. His gaze fixed on a table where a young girl with a blonde ponytail was sitting. Next to her was a Bulbasaur.

"So, how is he now?" Tyler asked as he sat down on the opposite end of the table.

Nathalie shook her head. "Not good. Mike woke up to train at seven. That's not like him at all." She sighed. "I think he's taking his loss against Brock way too hard."

Tyler nodded. "I can understand that." He leaned back. "Though he also needs to know that it was his first gym battle. The leaders are no pushovers- that's why they're the gym leaders, after all."

Nathalie pondered over the statement. "I think he knows. But you know, this was the first time he actually lost a battle. Not counting that run-in in Viridian Forest. He went in confidently, and I think that it's his confidence that got shattered."

Tyler didn't say anything, and merely fiddled with his shirt. "I'm planning to help him out with training today," he eventually continued, breaking a silence of at least thirty seconds.

"Oh yes!" Nathalie's eyes lightened up. "On that topic, how long were you going to take to tell us that you were one of the gym trainers at the Pewter Gym?"

Tyler gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I didn't think it was relevant, that's all. It's not like I sold out what Pokémon he used to Brock." His eyes widened in realization when he saw Nathalie's face. "Wait, Mike doesn't think I did that, does he?"

"Well..." Nathalie scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Kind of."

"Hey, I wouldn't do anything like that!" Tyler rose from the table. "I love seeing a fair Pokémon battle just as much as anyone else!"

"Okay, okay!" Nathalie quickly chimed up, "But try to keep your voice down, people are looking at us."

Tyler snuck a quick peek at the other people in the Center, only to see that the girl was right. When his gaze met with the other guests, they quickly looked away, but Tyler saw that at least some of them did their best to keep up with their discussion.

"Right," Tyler nodded, "Well, I'll be going now. If what you're saying is true, then I really have to help him train." He took a few steps away from the table, then stopped, and turned around again. He gave Nathalie a confident grin. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back in one piece!"

"I'll have your word for that," she muttered as the boy walked out of the Center.

* * *

 _Route 3  
1:46 PM_

"Sandshrew, use Scratch! Elekid, dodge and counter with Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeee!"

"Saaaaand!"

Sandshrew extended his claws and aimed for Elekid, but the latter deftly avoided the strikes. Elekid jumped back and zapped Sandshrew with a Thunder Shock, but the attack didn't do any damage, as Sandshrew was a Ground-type.

Mike stood next to the two battling Pokémon, with Caterpie sitting on his shoulder. "Elekid, Quick Attack! Sandshrew, use Defense Curl!"

"Kiddd!" Elekid dashed at Sandshrew with blinding speed.

"Shreeeww!" Sandshrew curled up into a ball. The defensive stance was successful- when Quick Attack made contact, Elekid was sent flying back without having done too much damage.

Mike clenched his fists. Both of his Pokémon did their very best. They gave it their all during training, and they gave it their all during the gym battle as well. So why did he lose?

"Hey, Mike!" Mike turned around when he heard the familiar voice call out to him. Tyler walked up to him. "How's training going?"

Mike looked away. "We're doing fine, thanks."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "So I heard from Nathalie what you think I did, and let me assure you, it isn't the case."

Mike's gaze met with Tyler's again. "You weren't really honest about being a gym trainer either." Although unintentional, there was venom seeping in his voice.

Tyler instinctively took a step back, holding up his hands in defense. "Look, man, I just didn't think it was important. And I kind of wanted to see your faces when you found out too."

"You're one of his gym trainers," Mike argued, "It's not unthinkable..."

"Not to mention that I still owe you for helping my little brother out in Viridian Forest!" Tyler retorted, cutting Mike off. They both shut up. "Look, I'm just here to help you train, alright?" Tyler finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"You want to help me?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"Sure!" Tyler grinned, "I mean, I've seen your battle at the gym! You're not bad, but your tactics are a little off! So..." He took two Poké Balls out of his pockets. "Cubone! Geodude! Come on out!"

"Geo."

"Booonnne!" One of the Pokémon that emerged was Tyler's Geodude. The other one was a small biped Pokémon with a brown-and-white body color. It wore a skull like a helmet and was equipped with a bone.

"So that's Cubone?" Mike asked.

Tyler nodded. "I guess you heard about her from Randy? Well, doesn't matter either way. Six months ago, when I first started out as a Pokémon trainer, my first Pokémon was this Cubone. We've been inseparable partners since then. Right, Cubone?"

"Cuuuuh!" the Ground-type nodded vigorously.

"Wait, six months ago?" Mike looked at Tyler. "How old are you exactly then?"

"Me?" Tyler laughed. "I'm sixteen, almost seventeen. You thought I was older, didn't you? It's okay, people assume that all the time. But either way. Cubone, Geodude!"

"Dude."

"Cuuuuh!" Both Pokémon ran over to their trainer.

"We'll be holding a double battle now, if that's okay with you. Cubone and Geodude versus Elekid and Sandshrew."

Mike looked at his Pokémon. "Are you both okay with that?"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid let his antennae sparkle, looking at Cubone and Geodude defiantly.

"Shrreeeww!" Sandshrew gave Mike a thumbs-up, before adapting a battle stance.

"Alright, Sandshrew!" Mike started off, "Use Scratch! Elekid, you use Leer! Aim both of your attacks at Cubone!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Saaaaand!" Both Pokémon nodded and began their double assault. Elekid glared at Cubone defiantly, making the Ground-type take a step back. Sandshrew extended his claws and aimed for Cubone as well.

"Don't let them, Geodude!" Tyler cried, "Use Tackle on Sandshrew, quick!"

"Geo." Without warning, Geodude lunged forwards, hitting Sandshrew right in the stomach.

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew groaned, pulling himself back up.

"Now Cubone!" Tyler called, "Bonemerang, quickly!"

"Boooonneee!" Cubone responded by throwing her bone at Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew, dodge!" Mike cried.

"Shrreeeew!" Sandshrew quickly ducked, barely making the bone miss its target. Mike was about to congratulate Sandshrew on a job well done, when Sandshrew got back up again and got hit on the back of his head by the bone. It had made a complete u-turn.

"How..." Mike began.

"Bonemerang strikes the opponent twice!" Tyler grinned, "Never heard of a boomerang before?"

Mike gritted his teeth. "Quick Attack, Elekid! Aim for Cubone!"

"Eleeeee!" In a yellow flash, Elekid disappeared. The Electric-type attacked Cubone at blinding speed.

"Cuuuh!" the Ground-type growled as she got struck by the attack. It didn't seem to do much damage, though.

"Good job, Cubone!" Tyler called out, "Now Geodude, attack Elekid while he's still close! Use Rollout!"

"Dude." Geodude curled up into a ball and launched himself at Elekid. The impact threw the Electric-type back.

"Kiddd..." Elekid grunted in pain, clutching his chest while standing on one knee.

"Elekid, are you still good to go?" Mike asked.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid gave him a brave smile, but it was obvious that the Rollout had done serious damage.

"Alright then!" Mike commanded, "Elekid, use Leer on Cubone again! Sandshrew, you go with-"

Tyler suddenly tensed up. "Shut up for a moment."

Mike's smile faded. "What?"

Tyler held up a hand. It looked like the gesture he did when they first met. At the time Mike had wondered whether it meant 'Hi' or 'Shut up'. He got his answer now.

"I hear crying," Tyler said, looking around in concern, "There's a Pokémon in trouble, close by!" He turned to Mike. "Let's call our match off for now. We have to help! Cubone, Geodude!"

"Cuuuuuh!"

"Geo." Both Pokémon ran over to their trainer. Well, it was running in Cubone's case. Geodude curled up into a ball and rolled to keep up with them.

"Wait, we're coming too!" Mike called after them, "Elekid, Sandshrew, let's go!"

"Eleeeeee!"

"Saaaand!" The two Pokémon hurried hastily after their trainer.

"The screeching is getting louder," Tyler let them know, "I can also hear the cries of other Pokémon..." His sentence was cut short when he saw the scene in front of him.

"Nidooooh!"

"Speeaaar!"

A small purple Pokémon did its best to get away from a flock of Spearow. Judging by the expression of some of the Normal/Flying-type Pokémon, Mike guessed they weren't in a good mood.

"Spearow again." Tyler made a face. "Cubone, Geodude, get ready! We're helping that Nidoran!"

"That's a male Nidoran, isn't it?" Mike muttered, taking out his Pokédex.

 _"Nidoran M, the poison pin Pokémon. Nidoran M has developed muscles for moving its ears. Thanks to them, the ears can be freely moved in any direction. Even the slightest sound does not escape this Pokémon's notice."_

"What are you waiting for?" Tyler called as Mike put his Pokédex away, "We have to help Nidoran!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Mike quickly nodded, "Sandshrew, use Sand Tomb! Elekid, Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Saaaandd!" Both Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously. Elekid's Thunder Shock hit a Spearow, which made the Pokémon retreat quickly. When Sand Tomb connected with one of the Spearow, however, the wall of sand simply dissipated.

"What?" Mike asked in surprise.

"Ground-type moves don't affect Flying-types, Mike!" Tyler huffed, "You know this! Cubone, Headbutt! Geodude, Rollout!"

"Cuuuuh!" Cubone hit a Spearow with a devastating Headbutt, but the Normal/Flying-type simply got back up again. The flock now faced the two trainers and their Pokémon.

"Dude." Geodude's Rollout plowed through at least three Spearow, but double the amount took their place.

"There are a lot of them," Mike bluntly stated.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Tyler snapped, "Keep it up, Cubone! You too, Geodude!"

Mike was about to make a witty comeback, when he noticed that one of the Spearow had deserted the flock. The Pokémon came flying at _him_ , its sharp beak aimed for his face. Mike instinctively put up his hands, despite knowing full well that it would provide little defense against the Spearow's attack. But the Pokémon would never reach him.

A white substance was shot at Spearow from Mike's shoulder. The substance hit Spearow's wing, who seemed to suddenly be stuck to its body. The Spearow crashed to the ground.

"Pieeee!"

Mike had been so focused on Elekid and Sandshrew that he had totally forgotten that Caterpie was sitting on his shoulder. "Thanks a lot, Caterpie!" he smiled.

"Caterrr!" Caterpie responded. She continued by firing off multiple other String Shots at approaching Spearow, making most of them crash to the ground by gluing their wings to their body.

"Geo." Geodude's Rollout rushed through the fallen Spearow, effectively destroying the String Shots that stopped them from flying, but also scaring them off in the process.

"It's working!" Mike cried, only to notice that three of the Spearow closed in on Sandshrew. "Use Scratch!" he commanded.

"Shrreeewww." Sandshrew growled menacingly at the approaching Spearow, and instead of extending his claws for a Scratch, a purple aura surrounded his back. Small purple darts were shot from Sandshrew's back to hit the Spearow. The Normal/Flying Pokémon cried out in surprise.

"What kind of move is that?" Mike questioned.

"That's Poison Sting!" Tyler grinned, "Awesome job, Sandshrew!"

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew boasted, giving Tyler a thumbs-up.

Tyler nodded approvingly as the flock finally started to retreat. "Aggressive Pokémon, those Spearow. We often have to deal with them." He turned towards Nidoran, who had been watching the two trainers take on the flock with awe. "You're safe now, Nidoran."

"Nidoooh..." The small Pokémon was shaking in fear.

"Nidoran's been hurt," Tyler remarked, noticing the bruises on the purple Pokémon's sides, "We have to get him to a Pokémon Center."

"But what about my training?" Mike piped up.

Tyler shook his head. "We just took down an entire flock of Spearow. Wouldn't that be enough training for you?"

"I guess..." Mike started.

"Well then!" Tyler broke him off, "Let's go!"

* * *

 _Pewter City Pokémon Center  
25 June 2008, 5:38 PM_

"Nurse!" Before the two boys had even entered the Pokémon Center, Tyler was already shouting, "We got an emergency!" On their way to the Pokémon Center, despite the potion Tyler had used on him, Nidoran fainted in Tyler's arms, urging him to recall his Geodude so they could move faster.

The nurse's smile faded when she saw the fainted Nidoran. "What happened?"

"A flock of Spearow!" Tyler explained, "They were attacking this Nidoran! We managed to fend them off, but..."

"Mike! Tyler!" Both boys turned around to see Nathalie rushing towards them. "That was fast! Did you..." She only then seemed to notice the wounded Nidoran. "What happened?"

"As I said," Tyler repeated impatiently, "Flock of Spearow attacked, the two of us fought them off."

"You fought off a whole flock?" Nathalie asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice, "Just the two of you?"

"With the help of our Pokémon, of course!" Mike chimed in, "Elekid, Sandshrew, Geodude, Cubone and even Caterpie!"

"Caatterrrr!" As Mike spoke those words, the Bug-type on his shoulder began shining in such a brightly blue color that it almost seemed white.

"What's happening?" Mike asked, shielding his eyes.

"I think the adrenaline created in the battle against the Spearow is causing Caterpie to evolve!" Tyler noted.

"Meta." The light faded, and instead of a Caterpie, there was now a green cocoon-like Pokémon on Mike's shoulder. This Pokémon weighed much more than Caterpie, so Mike briefly stumbled. He only nearly managed to catch Metapod before she would fall off his shoulder. Meanwhile, Nathalie took out her Pokédex.

 _"Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon and the evolved form of Caterpie. The shell covering this Pokémon's body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell."_

"That's pretty early," Mike said, looking at his Metapod in surprise.

"Are you surprised?" Tyler asked, "Caterpie and Weedle are famous for evolving really early." He shrugged. "But either way, even as an evolved Pokémon, Metapod won't stand a chance against Brock. Your best bets are still Elekid and Sandshrew."

"Shame," Mike replied, not taking his eyes off Metapod, "Sorry, Metapod. You really did well out there."

"Pod."

"Not really talkative anymore, is she?" Nathalie remarked.

"What did you expect?" Tyler countered, "She's already preparing herself for evolution. Metapod and Kakuna are like that."

"I guess you're right," Nathalie sighed.

"Either way!" Tyler spread his hands, as if he had an announcement to make. "Mike, you may want to give your Pokémon some rest as well, because..." He grinned slyly. "I've appointed a rematch with Brock for tomorrow. Eleven AM."

"At eleven already?" Mike blurted out.

Tyler's grin grew even wider. "You wouldn't believe how many trainers come to challenge Brock these days. It was the only spot that was still open." He crossed his arms. "I'd advise you to train more, but we did enough training for the day. Let Elekid and Sandshrew get a rest. Think of some strategies. I expect a good battle from you tomorrow!"

"Hey...!" Mike started, but Tyler had already rushed out of the Pokémon Center. He clenched his fists. "I wish he'd slow down for a moment! I didn't even have any time to object!"

"Well, why would you want to?" Nathalie asked, "You get your rematch tomorrow already! That's pretty soon!"

"You're right," Mike nodded, before turning to Elekid and Sandshrew, "Are you both ready for tomorrow as well?"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid let his antennae sparkle. By now Mike had figured out that Elekid usually meant 'yes' when he did that.

"Shrreeeww!" Sandshrew gave Mike a thumbs-up, which didn't need further clarification.

"Alright then!" Mike pumped his fist in the air. "Let's do our best tomorrow!"

"Eleeeeee!"

"Saaaand!"

* * *

 _Pewter City Gym  
26 June 2008, 10:56 AM_

Mike yawned. Even though he now officially started his Pokémon journey, he still wasn't used to waking up this early.

"You may now enter." He turned around to see the same receptionist from two days earlier smiling at him. "Brock will be expecting you." Mike nodded in response.

"Good luck!" Nathalie grinned, "We'll be cheering for you!" Bulbasaur was standing next to her, and she also had Metapod in her arms. Mike had decided to leave Metapod with Nathalie during the match, so she could see the battle as well.

"Thanks!" Mike replied, a lot more confident than when he had his first match, "Elekid, Sandshrew, are you ready as well?"

"Eleeeee!"

"Shreeewwww!" Elekid grinned while Sandshrew gave him his usual thumbs-up.

"Good to hear!" Mike faced the door. "Now let's go win our first gym badge!" The doors opened, and Mike stepped inside, with Elekid and Sandshrew close behind him.

The field looked exactly the same like it did in the previous battle. An earthen floor with huge boulders scattered all over it. On the sidelines, Tyler stood in his referee position. He grinned, and Mike grinned back.

"I have to say I'm surprised!" Brock's voice sounded from the other side of the field, "I didn't expect you to rematch me this quickly! But since Tyler insisted..." Tyler scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "...I accept your challenge, Mike!"

Tyler's clumsy grin brusquely disappeared. "This will be an official gym battle between the gym leader, Brock, and the challenger, Mike Redwood! The battle will be held in a two-on-two single battle format! The match will be over when all Pokémon on one side are knocked out! Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon!"

Brock shook his head. "I already told you that you don't have to..."

"The gym leader has to choose the first Pokémon!" Tyler continued, not paying attention to Brock. A grin appeared on Mike's face when he realized that it was the same in their first battle.

Brock let out a sigh. "You and your fancy words, Tyler." He turned towards Mike. "Hey, Mike! I hear you've been training! Good work!" He looked at the two Pokémon by Mike's side. "I take it you will be using Elekid and Sandshrew again?"

Mike nodded. "We wouldn't want it any other way!"

"Kidddd!"

"Shrreewww!"

"Fine then!" Brock laughed, "I'll be using the same Pokémon as last time too! Good luck, Mike! May the best trainer win!"

"Thanks!" Mike called over, "Good luck to you too!"

Brock took out his first Poké Ball. "You're up, Geodude!" he yelled, releasing the red aura within the ball.

"Geo." the Rock/Ground-type calmly said, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Sandshrew, I'm going to start off with you again, alright?" Mike said.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew nodded, and ran over to the battlefield, taking on a battle stance.

"Sandshrew again, huh?" Brock mused, "You took Geodude and me off-guard last time, but that won't happen again!"

"Dude." Geodude's body shook in what seemed to be a nod.

"Funny," Mike grinned, "I was just about to say the same to you!"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew responded vigorously.

"The challenger gets the first move!" Tyler announced, "Ready? Begin!"

"Sandshrew, Poison Sting, go!" Mike commanded.

"Shrrreeww!" Sandshrew's back glowed in a purple color, before he shot multiple purple darts at his adversary.

"Geo?" Geodude cried more in surprise than in pain as the darts connected with him.

"Poison Sting?" Brock looked surprised. "I didn't expect that! You really have been training, haven't you? Geodude, are you okay?"

"Geo." The tone Geodude responded in meant without a doubt that Geodude hadn't taken a lot of damage.

"Okay then, our turn to take the offensive!" Brock grinned, "Rock Throw!"

"Dude." Geodude held out his right hand, creating a rock into it that he launched at Sandshrew.

"To your right, Sandshrew!" Mike commanded, "And continue with Sand Tomb!"

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew darted to the right, easily avoiding Rock Throw, and blasted a stream of sand at Geodude.

"Geodude, you dodge as well!" Brock responded.

"Geo." Pushing himself to the left with his right hand, Geodude evaded the Sand Tomb.

Brock smiled. "I have to say I'm impressed. Sandshrew and you work together much better now. But that doesn't mean that you've won already! Geodude, use Magnitude!"

"Dude." Geodude lifted himself up into the air with his hands. He then slammed down on the ground hard, creating a small tremor and shock waves that aimed for Sandshrew.

"Climb up that rock!" Mike quickly cried.

"Shrreeww!" Sandshrew dug his claws into one of the huge boulders near him. It was hard to hold on with the quakes, but Sandshrew held tight, successfully avoiding Magnitude.

"Turning my field against me, hm?" Brock mused, "Geodude, go in closer! Tackle!"

Mike grinned. This was exactly what he expected. "Sandshrew, Poison Sting, go!"

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew dropped off the rock, firing another volley of poisonous needles at Geodude. The attack connected, but Geodude didn't seem too bothered. He slammed into Sandshrew with his full weight, sending the Ground-type flying back.

"Sandshrew, are you still good to go?" Mike asked in concern.

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew roared, pulling himself back to his feet and nodding.

"Alright, Geodude, use-" Brock was cut off when he heard his Geodude groan, "Geodude, what's wrong?"

"G...Geo..." Geodude muttered. He seemed to be in pain. Purple streaks had appeared under his eyes.

"Oh no!" Brock cried out.

"Yes!" Nathalie cheered, "Geodude's been poisoned! Good job, Mike! You too Sandshrew!"

"Shrrreww!" Sandshrew gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't get cocky just yet, Sandshrew!" Mike said, "Get in close with Scratch, now!"

Brock gritted his teeth. "I've seen you use this move before, and I'm not falling for it again. Geodude, Magnitude!"

"Dude." Although Geodude got poisoned by Sandshrew, there was no power loss in his Magnitude. It was as strong as ever.

"Sandshrew, use the boulders to dodge!" Mike yelled.

"Saaaaaand!" Sandshrew quickly dug his claws into another huge rock, attempting to avoid the incoming Magnitude. But this time, the rock wasn't as powerful. The combination of Sandshrew's claws and the tremors and shock wave of Magnitude destroyed the rock, sending Sandshrew flying to the ground while getting hit by the rubble of the boulder.

"We got him now, Geodude!" Brock grinned, "Tackle, go!"

"Geo." Geodude lunged forward faster than Mike ever expected, striking Sandshrew's chest. The Ground-type Pokémon landed in a heap in front of Mike, but quickly got back up again.

Mike looked at Sandshrew, concerned. His strategy had been to outspeed Geodude to eventually overpower it, but Brock's Geodude seemed to be prepared for that. "Use Sand Tomb!"

"Saaaaand!" Another column of sand was shot at Geodude.

"Geodude, counter with Rock Throw, quickly!" Brock called.

"Geo." Geodude countered by creating a small rock in his hand, throwing it at the incoming sand. Rock Throw easily plunged through Sand Tomb and hit Sandshrew on the head.

"Shreeeewww!" Sandshrew winced in pain, clutching his head with his hands.

"Alright!" Brock grinned, seeing his chance, "Now use Tackle again, Geodude!"

"Dude." Geodude threw himself forward like a projectile, yet again aiming for Sandshrew's chest.

Mike groaned. The poison seemed to be taking its toll on Geodude. If Sandshrew somehow would be able to take a clear shot at Geodude with Sand Tomb... His eyes widened when he got an idea. "Sandshrew, use your claws to hold onto Geodude when he crashes into you!" Mike quickly commanded.

"Saaaaaand?" Sandshrew looked confused, but still braced for impact. When Geodude crashed into him, Sandshrew dug his claws into Geodude's rock-like body, not getting thrown back.

"And now Sand Tomb!" Mike followed up.

"Shrreewww!" There was no way Geodude could dodge a Sand Tomb from this close, and both Pokémon were engulfed in the pillar of sand.

"Geeeoooh?" Geodude cried in surprise as he disappeared out of sight together with Sandshrew.

"Ah!" Brock seemed to be taken aback. "Geodude, Defense Curl, quickly!" Inside the tornado of sand, Geodude curled himself up into a ball in response to Brock's command.

"We got them now, Sandshrew!" Mike grinned, "Scratch at full power, go!"

"Saaaaaand!" Sandshrew extended his claws and began attacking Geodude viciously. Even though the Sand Tomb also wore him down, he didn't slow down on attacking.

"No good..." Brock muttered, "Geodude, grab Sandshrew's legs and throw him to the ground!"

Mike grinned. It was exactly the same scenario as the previous time, which made it all the more predictable. "Defense Curl, quickly!"

"Shrreeeww!" Sandshrew curled himself up into a ball, leaving no legs for Geodude to hold onto. The combination of Sand Tomb and the poison was now wearing down Geodude really quickly.

"We have to end this quickly, Geodude!" Brock commanded, "Shake Sandshrew off you and use Magnitude!"

"Dude." Geodude threw Sandshrew, still in his Defense Curl form, off his back, and then lifted himself up into the air for another Magnitude. The shock wave that was created when he slammed down not only dissipated the pillar of sand but also hit Sandshrew at a very close range.

"Sandshrew!" Mike cried in surprise, seeing Sandshrew getting thrown back despite his Defense Curl.

"Sand... Shrew...!" Sandshrew slowly got back up again, glaring at his adversary.

"G...eo..." Geodude's cry was really weak. Suddenly, his usual stern expression was replaced by surprise, and the Rock/Ground-type Pokémon toppled over.

"Geodude!" Brock called out to his Pokémon.

"Geoooh..." Geodude responded weakly.

"Geodude is unable to continue!" Tyler announced, unable to hide his grin.

"You did great, Geodude," Brock said as he recalled Geodude, "Take a nice rest." He locked eyes with Mike. "I'm honestly surprised, Mike! That was a splendid performance."

Mike scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Haha, thanks! But if you have any praise, Sandshrew here did all the work!"

"Saaaaaand!" Sandshrew puffed up his chest.

"Awesome, Mike!" Nathalie cheered from the stands, "You too, Sandshrew!"

"Bulbaaaah!"

"Meta." The two Pokémon next to her apparently agreed.

"Did I miss anything so far?" a familiar soft voice sounded behind Nathalie. She turned around to see a young boy with hair black as the night.

"Randy!" Nathalie smiled, "That's a surprise!"

"Big bro told me Mike would be holding his rematch today!" Randy's eyes lit up. "I already wasn't around to see the first match, so I came over as soon as possible!"

"Great!" Nathalie turned back to the battlefield. "To answer your question, Mike just knocked out Brock's first Pokémon, using only Sandshrew!"

"So Mike's got the advantage right now?" the young boy asked.

"Seems like it!" Nathalie grinned.

Meanwhile, on the field, Brock took out his second Poké Ball. "Kabuto, it's your turn!"

"Kabu." The familiar brown shell with piercing red eyes appeared on the field again.

"Be careful, Sandshrew!" Mike called over to his Pokémon, "Kabuto is part Water-type, so it has an advantage over you!"

"Shrreeewww!" Sandshrew nodded, understanding his position.

"Okay then!" Mike pointed at Kabuto. "Start this battle off with a Sand Tomb!"

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew kicked up his familiar stream of sand, this time aimed at Kabuto.

"Kabuto, counter with Mud Shot, quickly!" Brock commanded.

"Buto." Kabuto hit the ground with his front legs, and proceeded to shoot a volley of mud at the Sand Tomb. When the attacks hit each other, Mud Shot easily plowed through Sand Tomb and hit Sandshrew in the face.

"Saaaaand?" Sandshrew cried in surprise, stumbling backwards.

"Don't give in, Sandshrew!" Mike countered, "Use Poison Sting!"

"Shreeeeww!" Sandshrew wiped the mud off his face. In response, he fired a bunch of poisonous darts at Kabuto.

"Kabuto, Aqua Jet, now!" Brock yelled.

"Kabu." Kabuto cloaked his body and water and shot forwards. The water effortlessly swatted aside the needles.

"Sandshrew, dodge, quick!" Mike called.

"Saaaaand!" Sandshrew attempted to jump to his right, but Kabuto kept track of his movement, and changed direction. Aqua Jet crashed straight into Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew!" Mike cried in concern. The super effective attack must have done massive damage.

The impact of Aqua Jet sent Sandshrew flying into one of the huge boulders. Sandshrew smacked against it hard with his back, and slumped down. He didn't attempt to get back up again.

Tyler took a step forwards. "Sandshrew is unable to continue!"

"Aww," Randy pouted.

"And he was going so strong too," Nathalie sighed, "I guess the type disadvantage mattered more than Mike thought."

"Good work, Sandshrew," Mike smiled, recalling the Ground-type to his Poké Ball, "You did a great job fighting Geodude." He turned towards Elekid. "Looks like it's just you and me now, buddy."

"Eleeeee!" Elekid grinned defiantly.

"Sandshrew didn't manage to land a single hit on Kabuto, so it will still have his full power," Mike explained, "But I'm sure you can do it, right?"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid repeated, electricity sparkling between his antennae.

"Alright then, go Elekid!" Mike announced.

"I hope Mike has a plan to defeat Kabuto," Nathalie muttered, "The previous time it was much too strong for Elekid."

"Go, Mike!" Randy cheered, "Go, Elekid!"

"Okay, Elekid!" Mike started, "Use Thunder Shock!"

"Kidddd!" From between his antennae, Elekid shot a jolt of electricity at Kabuto.

"Harden, now!" Brock shouted.

"Kabu." Kabuto's shell shined slightly before the attack connected. When Thunder Shock lifted, Kabuto was still mostly unharmed.

Brock shook his head. "I already told you that those attacks won't be enough to defeat Kabuto." He raised a hand. "Use Mud Shot!"

"Kabu." Kabuto's two front legs hit the ground before firing a heap of mud at Elekid.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Mike quickly called.

"Eleeeee!" In a yellow-and-black flash, Elekid darted away from the place Mud Shot would strike two seconds after.

"Now Thunder Shock!" Mike followed up.

"Kiddddd!" Elekid brusquely stopped running on Kabuto's right, shooting a jolt of electricity at the Rock/Water-type.

"Kabuuuh!" Kabuto screeched as the attack connected. It seemed to have done at least decent damage.

"Kabuto, Ancient Power, go!" Brock yelled.

"Buto." Regaining his usual emotionless behavior, Kabuto created a silver-gleaming rock, apparently out of thin air, before hurling it at the Electric-type Pokémon.

"Dodge again!" Mike commanded.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid was fast enough to rush out of the way, the silver rock disappearing as it hit the ground.

"And now Thunder Shock!"

"Seems like Elekid and Mike are doing really well out there!" Nathalie smiled as another Thunder Shock hit its mark, earning itself a cry in pain from Kabuto.

"You've improved," Brock noted. Mike noticed a glint of excitement in his eyes that wasn't there before. "But we won't lose! Kabuto, Mud Shot!"

"Kabu." Kabuto created yet another heap of mud, firing it at Elekid.

"Dodge!" Mike quickly called.

"Eleeeeee!" The Electric-type darted out of the way just in time.

"That won't work..." Brock mumbled, "Aqua Jet, Kabuto!"

"Buto." Cloaking his shell in water, Kabuto shot forwards, aiming for Elekid.

"Intercept that attack with Thunder Shock, Elekid!" Mike countered.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid roared as he shot a Thunder Shock at the approaching Kabuto.

"Change direction!" Brock instantly commanded.

Kabuto deftly swerved to the right, making Thunder Shock miss its mark, before crashing into Elekid's chest.

"Kidddd!" Elekid cried in alarm as he was sent flying back.

"And now, Mud Shot!" Brock shouted, "Don't give them a chance to recover!"

"Buto." The water dissipated, and Kabuto instantly created another batch of mud that he fired at Elekid. The Electric-type let out a howl in pain as the attack hit nearly the same spot as the Aqua Jet had done.

"Elekid, are you still good to go?" Mike asked, worried after the super effective attack connected.

"Eleeee!" Elekid got back up, briefly clutching his chest. He looked over his shoulder to give Mike a fierce nod. "Kiddd!"

"Okay then, let's settle this quickly!" Mike yelled, "Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried as he attempted to zap Kabuto once more.

"Still not going to work!" Brock countered, "Harden, now!"

"Kabu." Kabuto's shell gleamed, and when the Thunder Shock hit him, he didn't seem to be too bothered by it. But both Mike and Elekid noticed that the Rock/Water-type Pokémon was slowly running out of energy, and Brock must have noticed as well.

"One last Thunder Shock, Elekid!" Mike called, "Make it count!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Kabuto, Aqua Jet!" Brock commanded, "Dodge that attack like you did before!"

"Kabu." Cloaking his body in water, Kabuto managed to dodge the Thunder Shock once more as he made his way for Elekid at an alarming speed.

"Elekid, aim for his water cloak!" Mike suddenly commanded, "Use Thunder Shock!"

"Eleeeeee!" Elekid quickly nodded, launching another Thunder Shock right before Kabuto crashed into him with Aqua Jet. The cloak conducted the Thunder Shock, making Kabuto take massive damage. That had been Mike's plan. But the electrified Aqua Jet also hit Elekid, dealing an enlarged amount of damage to the Electric-type as well. Both Pokémon howled in pain.

"Elekid, are you alright?" Mike called over in concern.

"Kabuto, can you keep going?" Brock asked, worry audible in his voice.

Elekid slowly got back on his feet, covered in numerous bruises from Kabuto's attacks and electricity running over his body from the electrified Aqua Jet.

Kabuto, on the other hand, made no attempt to get back up. His eerie red eyes appeared to be closed.

Tyler didn't even try to contain his grin anymore. "Kabuto is unable to continue! Elekid wins! The victory goes to..." He pointed dramatically at Mike. "...The challenger, Mike!"

"We won?" Mike's befuddled expression quickly changed to a huge grin. "We won, Elekid! We won!"

"Kiddddd!" Elekid also grinned. He dropped to one knee, but Mike was there to catch him.

"You did an awesome job out there, Elekid!" Mike smiled, "Take a good rest now." He pulled out Elekid's Poké Ball, recalling the Electric-type.

"Well, well." Having recalled his Kabuto, Brock was walking towards Mike at a very casual pace. "That was a great battle, Mike." Like after the previous match, Brock put a hand on Mike's shoulder. But this time it felt more like an act of respect than before. "You handled yourself superbly out there, as did Elekid and Sandshrew."

Mike could hardly contain his grin. "Thanks so much, Brock!"

Brock nodded, before reaching into his pocket. "As proof you have defeated me, the Pewter City gym leader..." He took out a gray-sparkling object that looked like a stone. "This is the Boulder Badge. Congratulations!"

Mike snatched the badge quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. "Uh, sorry," he said, apologizing for his rash action.

Brock chuckled. "It's okay. I've seen worse."

"Mike!" Mike turned around to see Nathalie running at him with Metapod in her arms. Randy and Bulbasaur followed closely behind. "You did great out there!"

"Yeah!" Seeing the smiling face of the young boy, it was hard to believe how shy he acted around them just a few days ago. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks, Nathalie," Mike grinned, "You too, Randy!"

"Good to see I've trained you well." Tyler also came over to the group.

"Hey, you didn't do _that_ much!" Mike retorted, "Elekid and Sandshrew put in the most work!"

Tyler shrugged. "Whatever you say. Congrats either way." He grinned widely. "You deserve it. That was a great battle!"

Mike's grin also grew back. "Next time I'll make sure you rock you just as hard as I did to Brock!"

"You're very welcome to try," Tyler smugly stated, "But it's unlikely that you're going to succeed."

Brock looked at the two boys, before closing his eyes briefly. "Tyler, do you mind coming with me for a moment? We need to talk." He glanced at the three other people. "Privately."

Mike, Nathalie and Randy exchanged questioning glances, but they didn't object. "I guess I'll head over to the Center then." He looked at Tyler and Brock. "If I don't see either of you anymore, thanks for everything!"

"You're welcome," Brock smiled, "I wish you all the best on your journey."

* * *

 _Pewter City Pokémon Center  
27 June 2008, 9:48 AM_

Mike yawned. He really wasn't used to getting up this early. The day before, he had retrieved his Pokémon from the nurse of the Pokémon Center so late in the evening that Nathalie and he decided to stay one more night. But a certain blonde girl had insisted that they would leave early in the day, and so...

"Hurry, Mike!" Nathalie gestured impatiently at the automatic doors of the Center.

Mike yawned again. "Why's the rush? The gym leaders won't run away."

Nathalie sighed. "Our next obstacle is Mt. Moon. I really don't want to spend the night there. Camping around a place crawling with Weedle is one thing. Zubat..." She shuddered. "So let's go already!"

"Yeah, let's." Both Mike and Nathalie turned in surprise to see a young boy with a sand-colored cap, a brown shirt and khaki-colored trousers. The previous time they had seen him, he didn't carry around a dark green backpack, though.

"Tyler?" Nathalie cried in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it'd be obvious." Tyler nudged his backpack slightly. "You know I've had a talk with Brock yesterday. He suggested..." He paused. "He told me that it would be good for my training if I were to go on my own Pokémon journey. And he suggested that I'd tag along with you bunch." He tilted his head. "If you'll have me, of course."

Mike's surprised expression quickly changed into a grin. "Are you kidding me? Of course we'll have you!"

Nathalie still looked a little concerned. "But what about Randy and the rest of your family?"

Tyler held up a hand. "Told them what Brock asked me to do. Randy didn't really want me to go, but..." He scratched his shoulder. "Brock actually is right, y'know. Only staying around here limits how much stronger I can become. Not to mention all the kinds of Pokémon I'll meet."

Mike's grin started to look alike to a smirk. "Looks like my victory against you won't be as far off in the future as I thought, then!"

"Ha!" Tyler laughed, "You keep telling yourself that, Mike! Because I'm going to beat you again!"

"What do you mean, 'again'?" Mike countered, "You never beat me before!"

"Aw, c'mon," Tyler teased, "You know I'd have won that battle we had."

"You wouldn't have!" Tyler huffed, "Elekid, Sandshrew and I had that battle in the bag!"

"Sure you would have," Tyler shrugged, "And Geodude can fly."

"Guys!" Nathalie interrupted them, "I hate to stop your bromance bonding session, but we have to move!"

"'Bromance bonding session'?" Tyler mumbled as Nathalie stormed out of the Center.

"You'll get used to it," Mike shrugged, "One day."

"Mike! Tyler!"

Both boys grinned at each other, before heading towards the exit. "Coming!" Mike called over as they both exited the Center.

From a nearby bush, two small red eyes followed every movement of the group attentively. As the three hurried out of sight, the small purple creature hopped out of the bushes, following the group while still keeping its distance...

* * *

 **Who's surprised to see that Tyler joined the group? I've given him a lot of character time, so I was afraid it'd be a little too obvious, maybe. But still, I really like writing him, so happy enough that he _finally_ joined up with the rest of the crew (totally my fault for taking so long to update). I will say that this will be the travelling group for the time, though. There may be people tagging along some chapters, but Mike, Nathalie and Tyler will be the main three characters and so the main travelling group as well.**

 **Next chapter, we'll have Mt. Moon, where...things will happen. No spoilers yet from me!**

 **Again, happy New Year, thank you for reading, and have a nice day!**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid:  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Ability: Static  
\- Moves: Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Metapod:  
\- Female  
\- Bug-type  
\- Ability: Shed Skin  
\- Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Harden

Sandshrew:  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Ability: Sand Rush  
\- Moves: Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch, Poison Sting

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur:  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Ability: Overgrow  
\- Moves: Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle

Tyler's team:

Cubone:  
\- Female  
\- Ground-type  
\- Ability: Rock Head  
\- Moves: Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang

Geodude:  
\- Male  
\- Rock/Ground-type  
\- Ability: Rock Head  
\- Moves: Tackle, Rollout, Defense Curl, Rock Throw


	7. Chapter 7: Going Full Tyrogue

**Happy (belated) Easter, everyone! Last time I updated, I still had to say 'happy New Year'. Oops. Anyway, this isn't abandoned, nor will it be anytime soon! Though my updates may not -probably won't- be frequent, this will still be updated.**

 **Anyway, last chapter we saw Mike winning his first-ever gym badge in his rematch against Brock. After that, one of Brock's gym trainers, Tyler, joined Mike and Nathalie in their journey, and now the three of them are making their way towards Mt. Moon.**

* * *

 _Route 3  
27 June 2008, 10:58 AM_

"So how much farther is it now?" Mike asked. The trio, now joined by Tyler, was making their way towards Mt. Moon. However, before they could reach the mountain, they had to pass through the rocky Route 3.

"Not much," Tyler replied, "Don't worry, I know. I've gone training there a few times."

"Really?" Nathalie asked, "You never told us about that!"

Tyler grinned. "Oh, there's so much else you don't know about me." He winked.

"So about Mt. Moon," Mike chimed in, "How do you think we should pass it?"

Tyler crossed his arms. "Go through the caves. You could try scaling the mountain, but..." He shrugged. "The Geodude that live there are often pretty unwelcoming of visitors. People often mistake them for rocks and step on them, y'know."

"But I've heard it's really dark inside Mt. Moon!" Nathalie protested.

"Well, yeah," Tyler continued, "It's a cave. What did you expect? But it should be fine. It's daytime, so most of the Zubat inside are sleeping. Not to mention..." He took off his backpack and started rummaging through it. "Hold on for a moment."

Mike and Nathalie stopped walking and exchanged glances. "Tyler..." Nathalie began.

Tyler let out a triumphant shout. "Got it!" He held a small flashlight in his hands. "Since I knew you guys were headed for Mt. Moon, I thought ahead and packed this little guy for the journey." He grinned.

"Okay, that's pretty cool," Mike admitted, "But what about the Zubat?"

"Oh, no problem there," Tyler shrugged, "Zubat are practically blind."

"Wait, they are?" Mike cried in surprise, taking out his Pokédex.

" _Zubat, the bat Pokémon. Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned."_

"It doesn't mention anything about them being blind," Nathalie noted.

"What, you don't believe me?" Tyler acted as if he was hurt. "I already told you, I've going training in Mt. Moon several times. Had a flashlight with me every time, never got assaulted by Zubat." He shrugged again. "Look, just follow me, alright? Captain Tyler will make sure everything's gonna be alright. Just, uh, make sure you don't step on any Geodude around these parts. The area gets even rockier around here, and, well, there are also Geodude around."

"Your Geodude wouldn't really appreciate it, huh?" Mike said.

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but I bet you wouldn't appreciate getting hit by a Geodude either. Trust me, speaking from experience here."

Mike thought back to the powerful Tackle attacks that both Tyler's and Brock's Geodude knew. "Point taken."

"Use Mega Kick!" The three young trainers jumped up when they heard a sudden shout from around the corner. The voice -obviously a man's- sounded rather deep and stern.

"Is that so?" another voice responded, "Then how about this? Mega Punch!" The second voice sounded really similar, only slightly higher-pitched.

Mike and Tyler looked at each other and grinned widely. "Looks like there's a Pokémon battle going on!" Tyler remarked bluntly.

Mike nodded. "Wanna go check it out?"

"You bet!"

"Guys…" Before Nathalie had the chance to put forward her arguments, the two boys had already dashed around the corner. "And here I thought I had someone to help me keep Mike in check," she sighed, following the duo.

Two humanoid Pokémon of the same species were battling each other. They had a gray skin color, red eyes, and three small brown ridges on top of their heads. They seemed to be rather good in hand-to-hand combat, judging by their muscular bodies. One of the two was relentlessly kicking his adversary, while the other retorted by throwing lightning-fast punches.

"What are those?" Mike wondered, taking out his Pokédex.

" _Machop, the superpower Pokémon. Machop's muscles are special-they never get sore no matter how much they are used in exercise. This Pokémon has sufficient power to hurl a hundred adult humans."_

"That's…a lot of humans," Mike said in awe.

"Yeah, I've seen a few of these being used by challengers back at the gym," Tyler nodded, "They pack a huge punch. Literally and figuratively."

"As do they," Nathalie remarked, looking at the Machop's trainers. They looked rather alike to each other. A tall, muscular posture with short but well-cut dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. They were both dressed in a martial artist's attire, with a white robe-esque cloth and a black belt strapped around their waist. The biggest -and only visible- difference between them was their headband. One had a blue headband, the other was red.

"Ha! Take that!" Red shouted as one of the Machop landed a kick right under the other's chin.

Blue laughed. "Please! My Machop can take those weak kicks for days! But I don't know if the same can be said about yours!" As he said that, Blue's Machop hit the opponent in the stomach with a powerful punch, forcing his opponent to his knees.

"You know full well that your inferior punches won't do anything to my superior Machop!" Red retorted as his Machop got back to his feet, ready to continue battling.

"Well, these two seem to get along well," Nathalie mumbled.

Tyler was watching wide-eyed. "You can say that again!"

"Fine then," Blue continued, going with a hand through his hair, "It's been good now! Machop, finish him off now! Mega Punch!"

"Maaaachh!" Machop's fist seemed to glow white as he charged as his namesake.

"Be my guest!" Red growled, "Machop, Mega Kick, go!"

"Maaaacchh!" The second Machop prepared for the approaching Fighting-type Pokémon, his right foot also glowing a faint white. When Blue's Machop reached Red's Machop, the latter's feet swept up remarkably fast to hit Blue's in the chest, but not before Mega Punch also his Red's Machop's forehead. Both Pokémon slumped to the ground.

"Argh!" Red stomped the ground after recalling his Machop. "A draw? Again?"

Blue let out a sigh, putting away the Poké Ball of his Machop. "It always ends this way. Why? My punching techniques should be superior!"

"My kicks are much tougher than your weak punches!" Red snapped.

"How long do you reckon they can keep this up?" Tyler sighed.

"Long," Mike replied, "Very long. Maybe even as long as Nathalie takes in the shower. Ow!" The last part was added by Nathalie hitting Mike on the back on his head. His shout drew the attention of the two martial artists. Their bickering abruptly stopped and their heads turned towards the group.

"Well, well," Blue grinned, "Looks like our battle drew spectators, Rikishi!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "Surprise of surprises. Who wouldn't want to come watch a battle of the master of kicks, Satoshi?"

Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. 'Master of kicks, really? Sorry you had to see all of that," he apologized, turning his attention back to the young trainers, "My brother, Rikishi, and I have been in a…feud of sorts lately, you see."

"We noticed!" Tyler smirked cheerfully, earning himself an elbow in his side from Nathalie.

Satoshi, however, laughed. "You're very honest, if nothing else! I can respect that!"

"So much like me then, brother?" Rikishi walked over to the group. "I'm Rikishi, a martial arts expert from Saffron City's fighting dojo!"

"...He seems to be less of a braggart than you are," Satoshi responded, ignoring his brother's angry huff at his statement.

"I don't think you know him very well, then!" Mike grinned.

"Hey!" Tyler retorted, raising his arms in protest, "That was uncalled for!"

"Sorry about them," Nathalie sighed, "My name's Nathalie, and these are Mike and Tyler. We were just passing through when the boys noticed your battle."

"Passing through?" Rikishi exclaimed, "But all paths from here lead either from Mt. Moon or to Mt. Moon!"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, "Our next destination is Cerulean City, so we have to get through it."

Satoshi looked at the group silently for a few seconds. "Which one of you is taking the Pokémon League challenge?" Mike raised his hand. "Figures. Only people on their way to the Cerulean gym would take this path."

"Hey!" Tyler protested, "I've gone training in Mt. Moon a few times too!"

"Really?" Satoshi looked at the boy with renewed interest. "Then you might be able to assist us! Tell me, have you heard about a Pokémon named Tyrogue?"

"Tyrogue…" Tyler frowned, "I don't think I have. Should I?"

Rikishi sighed. "Of course he wouldn't be able to help either."

"Hush, brother," Satoshi commanded, before directing his gaze back to Tyler, "It's quite alright. Tyrogue is a rare Pokémon that is sometimes seen around the vicinity of Mt. Moon. Both Rikishi and I have sought to capture one for some time now."

"Tyrogue…" Mike mumbled as he pulled out his Pokédex. The picture showed a rather small, purple, humanoid Pokémon. Much like Machop, it had three protrusions on its head, but these were much smaller and vertically oriented, whereas Machop's were horizontally sorted.

" _Tyrogue, the scuffle Pokémon. Tyrogue becomes stressed out if it does not get to train every day. When raising this Pokémon, the trainer must establish and uphold various training methods."_

"Sounds like a handful," Nathalie remarked.

Satoshi nodded. "That it is. But that will not stop us. You see, there's a certain trait Tyrogue possesses. Tyrogue can become a master of either kicking or punching, not both at once."

"And you both want to train a Tyrogue to be either a kicker or a puncher to prove to the other that your fighting techniques are superior," Tyler deduced.

Satoshi nodded. "Correct. If Tyrogue chooses to follow the path of the punch, I will have proven that my techniques are superior. If Tyrogue chooses to follow the path of the kick -which it won't, mind you- my brother will have won."

Tyler crossed his arms. "That's possibly one of the dumbest things I've heard all year."

Satoshi took a step backwards, giving his brother the chance to hop in the conversation. "Come again?"

"I mean, sure," Tyler continued, "I see that you want to prove something to each other. But have you even considered that Tyrogue chooses its fighting style based on personal preference?"

"Of…of course it does!" Rikishi shouted, "But for Tyrogue, it is but a question of which is stronger! And that's why it will always choose the optimal path- the kicking path!"

"Hold, brother." Satoshi seemed to have found his composure again. "You raise an excellent point, Tyler." He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Say... Would you mind coming along with us for the day? You seem to know enough about Mt. Moon. If you could lend us a hand..."

Tyler nodded quickly. "We accept!"

"What happened to group decisions?" Nathalie sighed.

"Well, it would be two versus one anyway if we voted, sooo…" Mike laughed nervously.

Nathalie huffed. "I really shouldn't be surprised at this point anymore, should I?"

Satoshi raised his hand. "So it's settled. You shall be helping in our search for Tyrogue." He looked skywards. "And considering the day is still young… I propose we depart right away!"

"Good idea!" Tyler nodded, "The Zubat are the least active at this time of the day!"

"Not to mention we found an entrance right around the corner here!" Rikishi added.

"Huh, really?" Tyler scratched the back of his head. "Funny. Never saw this one before."

Satoshi smiled. "Well then. Shall we depart?"

* * *

 _Mt. Moon  
_ _27 June 2008, 12:31 PM_

Nathalie groaned. "Shouldn't we have had lunch before heading in here?"

Mike grinned. He knew his female companion wasn't all too fond of dirty places, or the dark, or not knowing where she was exactly. And Mt. Moon just took all three of those things and crammed them in one location. "On the bright side, we'll be out of here before evening!"

"Yes, hopefully without Tyrogue eluding us this time," Satoshi added, "My brother and I have been camping around Mt. Moon for three days now…"

"Four!" Rikishi grumpily corrected his younger brother.

"For four days," Satoshi continued, "And we haven't seen even a single Tyrogue so far."

"Also not true," Rikishi grumbled.

Satoshi laughed. It was the first time either one of the brothers had laughed genuinely. The loud sound filled the otherwise empty caves, borderline startling Mike and Nathalie. "A so-called 'purple flash' doesn't constitute for the sighting of a Tyrogue, dear brother."

"Oh, sorry!" Rikishi huffed angrily, "Please do tell me which other purple Pokémon live around these parts!"

"Rattata," Satoshi started, "Ekans. Zubat, somewhat."

"All right, all right!" Rikishi huffed, "I got your point!"

"Are you two always like this?" Tyler asked.

Satoshi shook his head. "Funnily enough not, no. We normally get along rather well. But around other people... My brother has a rather…blunt way of expressing himself. A bit rash as well."

"Totally not like two guys I know," Nathalie remarked.

"What was that for?" Mike cried out.

"You'll wake up the Zubat if you shout that loudly," Nathalie stated, ignoring Mike's question completely.

"Speaking of the Zubat." Mike crossed his arms. "I'm surprised we haven't seen any wild Pokémon so far. I thought Mt. Moon was full of them."

"You have seen them, actually," Tyler chimed in, "Have you seen the ceiling of the cave here?"

Mike looked up. "No," he admitted. It was fully shrouded in darkness, hiding anything that could be there.

Tyler grinned. "Watch this." He suddenly pointed his flashlight straight for a split second. Mike only got a glance, but what he did see made him gasp. The ceiling was filled with Zubat, dozens and dozens of them. "I didn't want to shine too long on them, y'know," Tyler continued, "If they were to suddenly wake up, it would be…unpleasant."

"Indeed it is." Satoshi scratched his arm. "The first time we came through here… Well, let's just say that Zubat don't take very kindly to a sudden noisy Pokémon battle in the middle of a cave."

Tyler shook his head. "I can't believe you two would even try that. Anyway. The Zubat aren't the only Pokémon you've already seen. I'm pretty sure that some of the rocks that are lying around here are Geodude as well."

"Oh, right!" Mike recalled, "You mentioned that this area is inhabited by a lot of Geodude as well."

Tyler nodded. "I caught mine in here too. Did I already mention that?" Because he was talking to Mike, Tyler hadn't been looking straight forward, and he bumped against Rikishi, who had abruptly stopped. "Hey, what gives?"

"Shh!" Rikishi stretched his arms to block the way for all the others. "There's something up ahead!"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "A 'purple flash', I presume."

Rikishi's eyes shot daggers at his younger brother. "Yes, something purple indeed, if you have to know!" he fumed, "Look for yourself if you don't believe me!"

When the others went to stand next to Rikishi, they noticed that he was right- something purple was attempting to hide behind a rock. Mike couldn't exactly make out its form, but the Pokémon was obviously not a Zubat, and was too big to be a Rattata.

"Hm…" Satoshi scratched his chin, "You might actually be right this time."

"You know it!" Rikishi grinned widely and pulled out two Poké Balls, releasing his Machop from one of them. The Fighting-type looked like it was still fatigued from his battle with Satoshi's Machop earlier. "And you also know what I gotta do now!" Rikishi and his Machop simultaneously began running at the rock the purple Pokémon was hiding behind.

"Wait…" Satoshi's warning was in vain as his brother had already taken off. "Why must you always be so impatient?" He looked at Mike, Nathalie and Tyler apologetically. "Sorry about him, have to tag along!"

"Right behind you!" Tyler grinned, rushing after Satoshi with Mike and Nathalie in tow.

"Ha!" Rikishi had already reached the rock by that time, and jumped behind it. "I challenge you to a battle, Tyr-" His sentence was abruptly cut short.

"What's wrong?" Satoshi asked as the rest of the group caught up with the 'master of kicks', who was gritting his teeth so loudly that it could probably be heard from outside Mt. Moon.

When Mike and Tyler laid eyes on the Pokémon that they thought to be Tyrogue, they looked at each other in disbelief. "Nidoran?" they said simultaneously.

The intimidated purple Poison-type looked at the group. He seemed to be rather afraid, and Rikishi's angry expression didn't help that either. The martial artist seemed ready to explode. "How dare a stupid Nidoran rile me up like that!"

"Hey!" Tyler stepped in between Nidoran and Rikishi. "He did nothing to you! Back off!"

Rikishi growled in anger. Mike was afraid that he could attack Tyler any moment, until Satoshi put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Enough."

"Grrr…" Rikishi tasered Tyler with his eyes one last time, before turning around and kicking a rather huge stone in frustration. "Stupid Nidoran…" he muttered.

Tyler looked at the frustrated man, suddenly looking terrified. "Oh man, you should _not_ have done that."

"Done what?" Rikishi snapped, before turning around to realize his mistake.

The rock he kicked looked at him, rage gleaming in its eyes. "Geeeoooh!"

Rikishi suddenly became quiet. "Oh."

Mike and Nathalie looked around, seeing multiple other Geodude also staring angrily at them. "We may have a problem," Nathalie muttered, barely able to contain the fear in her voice.

"You don't say," Satoshi groaned, "No time for chastising. All of you, head for the exit. Follow the path. Right now."

As if that was the sign the Geodude were waiting on, the majority of them raised their heavy bodies in the air with their arms, and slammed them back down against the ground. The multiple Magnitude attacks made the earth shake.

"The exit looks like a good idea to me!" Mike beamed, "Quick!" He began to run, the other humans following his lead, as well as Rikishi's Machop and Nidoran.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, great!" The Magnitude attacks apparently had disturbed the peacefully sleeping Zubat, who were now flocking right behind them. "Don't look behind, but you may wanna run harder!"

The other didn't need further encouragement. The sound behind them told them all they needed to know. However, the herd of Zubat quickly ascended over them.

"Ah!" Nathalie cried, "They're everywhere!"

"Just keep running!" Satoshi yelled, "We are bound to lose them sometime!"

"Easy for you to say!" Mike huffed, pushing a Zubat away. It would be so much easier if he had his Pokémon right now, but if he accidentally dropped one of his Poké Balls while trying to call them out, there was a good chance he wouldn't find it anymore.

"Where are you guys?" Tyler screamed, apparently part blinded by the sheer amount of Zubat flying in between them.

"Right here, Tyler!" Nathalie cried. Mike noticed that her voice seemed to be farther away than a few seconds ago. He heard Satoshi shout something, but he couldn't make out what exactly it was. He did his best to follow the footsteps right in front of him, but the Zubat didn't make it particularly easy on him.

"…ike… there?" he heard Nathalie scream.

"Over here!" he yelled in response, not sure if she would actually be able to hear it. It almost seemed like the footsteps in front of him lead him even deeper into the caves.

* * *

 _Mt. Moon  
27 June 2008, 1:34 PM_

"Did we…lose them…?" Nathalie panted.

"Seems like we did." Much to the surprise of the others, Satoshi didn't even seem to be fatigued. "We have a bigger problem on our hands now, though."

"Wait…" Tyler raised a hand, "Where's Mike?"

Satoshi nodded. "Exactly. Your friend. My brother too." He looked at Rikishi's Machop, who had apparently lost track of his trainer as well. "Machop is his only Pokémon, so I fear that if they get attacked by wild Pokémon again, Mike's Pokémon will be their only hope."

"And that's why we can't sit around waiting here either!" Tyler stood up. "We gotta help them!"

"I agree!" Nathalie nodded, "I don't like going back in there, but we can't just leave them behind either!"

Satoshi closed his eyes. "Calm down. I wasn't planning on leaving them behind. But we have to be prepared this time." He took out his Poké Ball. "Let's go, Machop."

"Maaacchh!" Machop cried as he materialized next to Rikishi's Machop. The two glanced at each other briefly.

"Right!" Tyler said, taking out a Poké Ball himself. "Cubone, I need your help!"

Nathalie was trembling slightly, but following Tyler's lead. "You too, Bulbasaur!"

"Cuuuuuh!"

"Buulbaaah!" The two Pokémon appeared next to the Machop duo.

Satoshi towered over the Pokémon. "Listen very carefully, all of you."

* * *

 _Mt. Moon  
27 June 2008, 1:37 PM_

"Ugh…" Mike held his head. "They're apparently finally gone…"

Rikishi gritted his teeth. "You mean the Zubat or the others?"

Mike looked around, only now realizing that he had been separated from Nathalie, Tyler and Satoshi. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes, I'm afraid," Rikishi grumbled, "And Machop apparently followed them too, so I'm out of Pokémon. And I have no idea where we are either. Can this get any worse?"

"Nidddoooooh?" Nidoran poked his head out from between two rocks, apparently having followed Mike and Rikishi.

"Of course it can," Rikishi fumed, "It always can." He started walking towards Nidoran, a threatening expression on his face. "It's all your fault we're in this situation!"

"Hey!" Mike shouted, "You're the one who kicked that Geodude!"

Rikishi looked over his shoulder. "And who made me do that? This little…!" When he turned back around, Nidoran was nowhere to be found.

"Good job," Mike noted, "You scared him off."

"Not my fault!" Rikishi shouted again.

Mike looked at him fiercely, before realizing somewhat. "Why is it so bright in here?"

Rikishi's angry expression changed to confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Mike looked around. "The rest of the cave was nearly fully pitch-black. But we're perfectly able to see around here… Wait a second." The cave's walls were filled with mushrooms that emitted a dim white light, that somehow seemed eerie.

"Mushrooms?" Rikishi picked one from the wall. "Weird. Why would there be mushrooms growing around here? And why do they give off light?"

"Tyyyy!"

Both Mike and Rikishi snapped out of their thinking by the sudden scream from deeper in the cave. "What was that?" Mike cautiously asked.

"No idea." Rikishi glared at the direction the sound came from.

Mike knew that the logical decision was to not get involved with whatever trouble that was apparently brewing there, but a second cry made up his mind. "I'm going. Come on, Elekid, Sandshrew, Metapod!" He threw his three Poké Balls in the air.

"Eleeee!"

"Saaaaaand!"

"Meta," the three Pokémon cried as they materialized on the ground right before Mike.

"There's someone or something in trouble over there!" Mike quickly told them, picking up the immobile Metapod, "We have to go help!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Saaaaand!" The two Pokémon nodded in response, and followed Mike through the narrow corridor.

"Guess I don't have any choice either." Rikishi cursed. "Hold up!"

As they went deeper inside the cave, Mike and Rikishi noticed that the amount of mushrooms on the wall grew bigger and bigger. The plus side was that it was much brighter now. The downside was that they were probably headed towards trouble, as multiple cries could be heard now, the majority of them sounding mostly the same.

The corridor suddenly became much wider, revealing a small room inside the caves. It was absolutely filled with fungi, putting the whole room in a dim white light. But that was not the only thing the room was filled with.

Small orange Pokémon crawled all over the place. They had small pincers and even smaller mushrooms growing on their back.

"What are those?" Mike pondered, bringing out his Pokédex.

" _Paras, the mushroom Pokémon. Paras has parasitic mushrooms growing on its back called tochukaso. They grow large by drawing nutrients from this Bug Pokémon host. They are highly valued as a medicine for extending life."_

"That's…unique, if nothing else," Rikishi said, having caught up with the younger boy.

Mike nodded. Just as he was about to put his Pokédex away, he heard the same cry in pain again. He narrowed his eyes, and only now noticed what was going on in the center of the room.

A Pokémon with bigger claws and a much bigger mushroom on his back was beating down a purple Pokémon that looked slightly humanoid. The bigger version of Paras clawed at the smaller Pokémon relentlessly, but the latter didn't seem to feel like giving up.

"Finally!" Rikishi cheered, "That's a Tyrogue!"

Mike looked at his Pokédex. "But what's that other Pokémon?"

" _Parasect, the mushroom Pokémon and the evolved form of Paras. Parasect is known to infest large trees en masse and drain nutrients from the lower trunk and roots. When an infested tree dies, they move onto another tree all at once."_

"Fun Pokémon," Rikishi noted.

"Yeah, but what's it doing in a cave like Mt. Moon?" Mike wondered, "The Pokédex mentioned it liked being around trees!"

"I guess it's the mushrooms that attract Paras and Parasect to this place," Rikishi shrugged.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue's weaker-sounding cry snapped the trainers' attention back to the fight. Tyrogue seemed to be losing badly. He lied on the ground, covered in multiple bruises from Parasect's powerful claws. But even then, he got back up again, albeit clutching his left arm against his body. "Ty… Rogue!"

"Why does he keep going?" Mike cried out.

"That's Tyrogue's nature," Rikishi stated, "The stronger an opponent is, the more Tyrogue wants to battle." He frowned. "That being said, this still doesn't look good at all."

"You don't say!" Mike yelled, accidentally turning the attention of the Paras and Parasect to the humans.

"Way to go," Rikishi whispered.

"Ssseecctttt!" The sounds Parasect made sounded like something between a low hissing sound and an echo. He raised a pincer. "Sssseeccttt!"

"Parrrasss!" The smaller Bug-type Pokémon began swarming at the two trainers.

Mike took on a battle stance. "Elekid, Sandshrew! Get ready to battle!"

"Eleeee!"

"Shreewww!"

"Use Thunder Shock, Elekid!" Mike quickly commanded, "And you use Poison Sting, Sandshrew!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid's antennae sparkled familiarly when the Electric-type Pokémon sent out a small jolt of electricity towards the nearest Paras. However, the Bug-type Pokémon barely seemed phased.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew's Poison Sting, on the other hand, had hit a bunch of Paras. They winced in pain and quickly retreated into the shadows.

"Mike!" Rikishi called, "Paras and Parasect aren't only Bug-type Pokémon, they're also part Grass! So your Electric-type attacks won't have much effect, but your Poison-type moves will!"

"Got it!" Mike yelled back, "Keep up the Poison Sting, Sandshrew! And you use Quick Attack, Elekid!"

"Kidddd!" Elekid dashed at the Paras he had hit before at incredible speed, knocking the smaller Pokémon away with a full-body attack.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew kept firing poisonous needles at the approaching horde. Nearly every time a Paras was hit, the respective Pokémon withdrew.

Suddenly, while rushing back for another attack, Elekid slumped over. "Eleee…?" a dazed Elekid cried, before dropping face-first on the ground, snoring loudly.

"Elekid!" Mike shouted, alarmed.

"Calm down!" Rikishi ordered, "That's Paras' ability, Effect Spore! If you make contact with it, your Pokémon can become poisoned, paralyzed or fall asleep!"

Mike clenched his fists, and then took out Elekid's Poké Ball to recall his starter Pokémon. He figured that if Elekid was asleep, he'd just be in danger lying around.

"Meta." Mike looked at Metapod in surprise, nearly having forgotten he held the Bug-type in his arms. Metapod was staring at the battle between Tyrogue and Parasect, that was apparently still going on. "Pod."

Mike gritted his teeth. He couldn't risk throwing Metapod into battle. The Pokémon could barely even move, which would make her easy pickings for the Paras.

"Shrreewww!" Sandshrew's surprised cry snapped Mike out of his thoughts. Sandshrew had apparently breathed in some of the spores the Paras were shaking off. To his horror, he saw the Ground-type Pokémon dropping down in the same fashion Elekid did before him.

"Spore," Rikishi groaned, "A move that causes your opponent to fall asleep."

"But why aren't the other Paras affected by the spores flying around?" Mike protested.

Rikishi crossed his arms. "Simple. Grass-type Pokémon are immune to spore-based attacks, such as Poison Powder and Spore."

"Great," Mike sighed, also recalling Sandshrew as he was about to get swarmed by Paras. He looked at Metapod. The cocoon Pokémon was their only hope now, but what could Metapod possibly do against the horde of Paras?

"Meta."

Mike closed his eyes. "You sure, Metapod?"

"Pod."

It was difficult to see what Metapod was thinking exactly, but Mike decided to trust his instincts. "Alright then." He put Metapod on the ground, facing the approaching mushroom Pokémon. "Stop them in their tracks, Metapod! String Shot!"

"Meta." Metapod shot a silky white web out of what should have been her mouth, gluing the first batch of nearby Paras to the ground.

"All right!" Mike cheered, "Way to go, Metapod!"

"Don't celebrate just yet!" Rikishi warned him. Just as he finished his sentence, the Paras slashed the webs they were tangled up in to pieces with their pincers. Meanwhile, other nearby Paras launched another Spore attack on Metapod. The attack made direct contact, and the cocoon Pokémon closed her eyes.

"Oh no," Mike muttered, about to take out his Poké Ball to recall Metapod as well.

"Stop!" Rikishi ordered, stopping Mike in his tracks.

"Metapod's in danger!" Mike retorted, enlarging the Poké Ball's sphere form in his hand.

"Just wait!" Rikishi pointed at Metapod, and only now Mike noticed that a green aura enveloped the Pokémon. Sickly blue waves seemed to get pushed out of her cocoon by the green aura. Metapod opened her eyes again.

"How…" Mike started.

"That was Shed Skin," Rikishi noted, "A Pokémon with that ability sometimes can get rid of its status problem!"

"Wow!" Mike wanted to congratulate his exceptional cocoon Pokémon, but only then noticed that the Paras were almost on her already. "Use Harden, quick!"

"Meta." Metapod's shell gleamed for a split second, right before the Paras unleashed their Scratch and Fury Swipes attacks on her. Although there were at least half a dozen Paras clawing at her, Metapod seemed to be able to hold her ground. However, if more Paras were to attack…

"Rrraasss!" Mike watched in horror as a Paras slashed away with his pincer, leaving a huge gash in Metapod's shell.

"Metapod!" Mike cried.

"Pod." The Bug-type Pokémon began to shine. The white light she gave off was much brighter and warmer than the light of the mushrooms, and the Paras quickly scuttled away from the shining cocoon Pokémon. Or at least, what remained of it. Two wings sprouted from the shell, quickly followed by the rest of the Pokémon's new body. As the light faded, a small flying Pokémon with compound eyes and antennae looked down upon the hissing group of Paras.

"Butterfree…?" Mike said in awe, opening his Pokédex.

 _"Butterfree, the butterfly Pokémon and the evolved form of Metapod. Butterfree has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest."_

"All right!" Mike cheered, "And you also learned a bunch of new moves too! Time to show them what we're made of, Butterfree!"

"Frreeee!" Butterfree nodded, displaying the same amount of emotion as she did as a Caterpie once more.

"Use Gust!"

"Freeeee!" Butterfree started flapping her wings quickly, blowing multiple nearby Paras away, as well as sending their Spore attacks back right where they came from.

"Paaarrrraaassss!" the mushroom Pokémon cried in pain as they got hit by the powerful attack, quickly retreating back into the shadows.

"Wow." Mike blinked, hardly able to believe that Butterfree chased them all away with just one attack. "You really are awesome, Butterfree."

"Buttterrr!" Butterfree smiled.

"Rrrrogue!" Mike had been so focused on keeping the Paras away from him that he hadn't noticed that Tyrogue was still getting beaten up by Parasect.

"Butterfree, quick!" Mike ordered, "Go help Tyrogue!"

"Freee!" Mike could have sworn he saw the Bug/Flying-type pout, but she obeyed his order anyway, flying in between Parasect and Tyrogue.

"Sssseeeeccttt!" Parasect hissed, raising his claw at the unexpected meddler.

"Freeee!" Butterfree began flying in circles around Parasect. Much to Mike's surprise, the seemingly violent Pokémon didn't make an attempt to attack Butterfree.

"They're talking." Rikishi crossed his arms. "I don't like this. They're both Bug-type Pokémon. Who knows, maybe Butterfree even agrees with that thing and turns against us."

"Hey!" Mike protested, "That's my Butterfree you're talking about! She would never do something like that!"

"Sssseeecccccttt." Mike noticed Parasect's voice sounded much calmer now. "Sssseeeccttt." The bigger Pokémon looked at Mike and Rikishi -almost apologetically- before retreating into the shadows like its Paras kin did before it.

Butterfree fluttered back to the humans, landing comfortably on top of Mike's head. "Frreeee!"

Mike smiled. "Well done, Butterfree! I don't know what you said to it, but it must have worked!"

"Ty…" Tyrogue slowly pulled himself back to his feet, glaring at Mike and Butterfree. "Rrrrogue!"

"Interesting," Rikishi noted, "I don't think Tyrogue _wanted_ to be saved. Actually, thinking about it, Tyrogue may actually be to blame for all of this."

"Buttterr!" Butterfree nodded in response.

Mike suddenly realized it as well. "Those Paras and Parasect must have been so angry because a random Pokémon trespassed in their territory and began attacking them!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "I didn't know Tyrogue found its strong enemies like this. No wonder those Paras were so aggressive towards us."

"Rrrrrrogue…" Tyrogue slowly walked up to them. "Rrrrrroggue…!"

Even Rikishi seemed baffled. "Unbelievable. Tyrogue got pummeled so many times already, and he still wants to battle?"

"We can't do that!" Mike protested, "Tyrogue is already hurt! He needs help, not even more of a beating!"

"I may have an idea." The martial artist reached in a pocket in his coat, revealing a Poké Ball. "And it involves this! Go, Poké Ball!"

"Tyyy!" Even though Tyrogue was hurt, his reflexes were still more than good enough to punch the approaching Poké Ball to shards.

Rikishi gulped. "That didn't work."

"The idea was good, but the execution could have been better." Mike stared at Tyrogue, then nudged Butterfree. "Ready?"

"Freeeee!" Butterfree flew up, glaring at Tyrogue.

"Rrrrogue!" The small Fighting-type Pokémon actually grinned, seeing as he was about to face another strong adversary. His eyes suddenly shot small red beams at Butterfree, but the attack didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever.

"Well then, our turn!" Mike announced, "Time for your second new move, Butterfree! Sleep Powder!"

"Buttterrr!" Butterfree began flapping her wings, extracting pollens out of them in the process. The pollens drifted in the air around Tyrogue.

Mike even noticed the scuffle Pokémon breathe in some of them, and it still didn't affect him. "What's this?"

"It has to be Vital Spirit," Rikishi stated, "A Pokémon with this ability cannot be put asleep in battle."

Mike gritted his teeth. "Butterfree, Tackle, go!"

"Frrreeee!" Butterfree flew at Tyrogue, preparing a full-body attack.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue must have been hurt from his battle with Parasect, but the way it sidestepped Butterfree's attack and easily dodged didn't show it. "Rrrrrrogue!" His voice sounded somewhat taunting.

"What a powerful Pokémon…" Mike muttered, before grinning. "But we're powerful too! Butterfree, Tackle again!"

"Rrrrrogue!" Before Butterfree had the time to act, Tyrogue quickly jumped up and hit Butterfree with his own Tackle. Butterfree had attempted to dodge, but the Fighting-type Pokémon seemed to have anticipated that.

"What happened?" Mike cried in surprise as Butterfree was slammed to the ground.

"I guess the first attack Tyrogue used was Foresight," Rikishi noted, "A move that makes it much easier for the user to predict the opponents' moves and hit them."

"I see…" Mike looked at the grounded Butterfree, who still had Tyrogue sitting on her back. "Now, Butterfree! Confusion! Lift Tyrogue up into the air!"

"Frrrreeee!" Butterfree's eyes turned blue. At the same time, a blue aura enveloped Tyrogue, and the scuffle Pokémon was raised in the air.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue screeched in pain. The psychic energy prevented the weakened Fighting-type to break free.

"I can't let this go on any longer," Mike muttered, "This is your chance, Rikishi! Quick, catch Tyrogue!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "No."

Mike angrily glanced over his shoulder. "Why not?"

Rikishi closed his eyes. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm not worthy to train this Tyrogue. Or at least, that's what Tyrogue would think. Because I'm not the one that beat him in a battle." He opened his eyes, digging them into Mike's. "The one who did that is you."

"So…" Mike took an empty Poké Ball out of his pocket. He looked from Tyrogue to the sphere, and back to Tyrogue. "Would it really be okay if I…?"

"Are you going to wait all day before throwing that?" Rikishi snapped, "Because I don't have all day, and Tyrogue has even less time!"

Mike gripped the Poké Ball more tightly. "You're right!" He turned towards Tyrogue. "Poké Ball, go!"

The red-and-white ball hit the dazed Tyrogue on the chest, sucking his essence into it. The ball dropped to the ground. Shook once. Shook twice. Shook thrice.

And stayed still.

Mike ran up to the Poké Ball. A big grin spread on his face as he picked it up. "All right! I caught a Tyrogue!"

"Rub it in even more, why don't you…" Rikishi muttered.

"…ike?" The two trainers and Butterfree suddenly turned their heads towards the entrance they came from. "Rikishi?"

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran was the first to burst through the entrance, quickly followed by Nathalie, Tyler, Satoshi, Bulbasaur, Cubone and two Machop.

"There…you all…are…" Nathalie panted, "Where…did you…?" She raised an eyebrow when she noticed the Butterfree in the air. "Metapod…?"

Mike's grin grew even bigger. "I think we need to catch up."

Tyler nodded. "I agree, but there's something more important first." He grinned. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

 _Route 4  
27 June 2008, 5:02 PM_

"I see…" Satoshi put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "You have handled yourself superbly, in that case. I'm glad Tyrogue ended up in the care of such a competent trainer."

"And Butterfree evolved as well in the meantime!" Nathalie beamed, "That's awesome!"

"I know!" Mike patted the head of his Butterfree, who was still sitting on his head. "Without Butterfree none of this would have been possible too."

"Frrreeee!" Butterfree cried contently.

"But how did you guys find us, actually?" Mike wondered, only now realizing how such an important question didn't come up to him before.

Tyler scratched the back of his head. "Funny story there. We had a guide."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "A guide?"

"Nidooooh!"

Mike looked down to see Nidoran standing next to Tyler. "Nidoran?" he asked in disbelief.

Tyler nodded. "Nidoran suddenly appeared in front of us. The little guy seemed to be in a panic. He was biting my trousers and everything, as if he wanted to lure us into a certain direction. Which he did."

Mike glanced at Rikishi. The older man tried to look everywhere but at Mike and Nidoran. Mike laughed internally. Nidoran went to fetch help, even though Rikishi had treated him horribly. Mike hoped deeply that the martial artist felt remorse over his actions.

"So I guess we're even now, huh?" Tyler kneeled to get eye contact with Nidoran. He was toying with a Poké Ball in his hand. "Y'know, you're pretty good. Would you-"

"Nidoooooh!" Nidoran suddenly rushed away and disappeared into the tall grass, leaving the dumbstruck group behind.

Tyler broke the silence. "I just wanted to ask him to join my team…" For the first time, Mike thought he sounded genuinely hurt.

"Tough luck." Satoshi looked at the grass. "Not all Pokémon want to go with a trainer. Speaking of trainers…" He turned towards Mike. "Your next destination is Cerulean City, no?"

Mike nodded vigorously. "Yeah! With Tyrogue now by my side as well, the gym badge already is as good as won!"

"You're going to need Tyrogue," Rikishi chimed in, "The Cerulean leader uses Water-type Pokémon, which means Sandshrew will do very poorly."

"But Elekid will shine!" Nathalie retorted, earning herself a shrug from Rikishi.

"Either way," Satoshi continued, "I wish you the best of luck on your journey, all three of you. And please, when you are in the vicinity of Saffron City, come visit us at the fighting dojo."

"You're not heading for Cerulean City?" Nathalie asked.

Satoshi shook his head. "We have just been given confirmation that there are indeed more Tyrogue living in Mt. Moon. Both my brother and I shall keep attempting to catch one." He headed back towards the cave's entrance, followed by Rikishi. "I hope we meet again someday."

Mike, Nathalie and Tyler watched them go off. "Strange duo," Tyler noted, "I hope they won't go around forcing their Pokémon to train either kicking or punching."

"At least Satoshi seemed nice enough, I doubt he'll do that," Nathalie sighed, "I don't know about Rikishi though. Speaking of him, I really don't know how you managed to put up with him while you two were alone, Mike."

Mike shrugged. "Wanna know something funny? I don't either." He spun Tyrogue's Poké Ball around on his palm, and grinned widely. "Cerulean gym, here I come!"

* * *

And once more, Mike has caught a new Pokémon! Just in time too, as the gym battle against Misty is approaching quickly. Also, this chapter marks the second appearance of the first recurring wild Pokémon- Nidoran! Yes, that means Nidoran _will_ reappear in future chapters. I won't tell when, where or why, but this isn't Nidoran's only appearance. Promise.

Next chapter we will have the group arrive in Cerulean City, where the second gym is located!

Once more, happy Easter, thank you for reading, and have a good day!

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Static  
\- Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Butterfree  
\- Female  
\- Bug/Flying-type  
\- Compound Eyes  
\- Tackle, Sleep Powder, Confusion, Gust

Sandshrew  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Sand Rush  
\- Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch, Poison Sting

Tyrogue  
\- Male  
\- Fighting-type  
\- Vital Spirit  
\- Tackle, Foresight

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Overgrow  
\- Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle

Tyler's team:

Cubone  
\- Female  
\- Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang

Geodude  
\- Male  
\- Rock/Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Tackle, Rollout, Defense Curl, Rock Throw


	8. Chapter 8: Double Aquatic Trouble!

**Last time, we saw Mike, Nathalie and Tyler meet up with two martial artists/trainers named Rikishi and Satoshi, who were in the vicinity of Mt. Moon to capture the rare Pokémon Tyrogue. After accidentally angering a group of Geodude and a colony of Zubat, Mike and Rikishi were separated from Nathalie, Tyler and Satoshi. Mike had to face off against a group of Paras and their leader Parasect due to a Tyrogue enraging the Bug/Grass-type Pokémon. However, after Elekid and Sandshrew were put to sleep, it was Metapod who saved the day- evolving into Butterfree in the meantime! In a surprising turn of events, Mike was forced to capture the troublemaking Tyrogue. And now, with Tyrogue as the newest addition to his team, Mike and his friends finally reached Cerulean City, where his next gym battle awaits!**

* * *

 _Cerulean City Pokémon Center  
28 June 2008, 9:04 AM_

Nathalie impatiently paced up and down on the ground floor of the Pokémon Center. She had been up for nearly an hour now -an hour!- and she still hadn't seen a sign of the two boys that travelled with her. At the time, she thought renting a room for her alone would be a good idea. She now regretted that.

"Ugh!" she fumed, bolting back upstairs. The door of the boys' room was still closed. She knocked on the door loudly. "What's taking you so long?"

"Just a minute!" Tyler's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "I'm trying to drag Mike out of his bed!"

Nathalie rolled her eyes. Of course the person they had to wake up early for, didn't want to wake up early himself. "Hurry up!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Tyler retorted, "I'm doing my best! C'mon, man!"

"Just one more minute, mom…" Nathalie heard Mike's tired voice mutter.

Nathalie heard Tyler groan in frustration. She couldn't blame him. It was exactly what she was doing as well.

"Hold on!" she suddenly heard Tyler exclaim, "Got an idea!"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. It stayed silent for ten seconds…twenty… Just as Nathalie was about to make another remark, she heard the sound of what was apparently a Poké Ball opening. That was followed up by a scream in terror -Mike's voice-, a loud thud and Tyler uncontrollably laughing. "What are you two doing in there?" Nathalie yelled worriedly.

Tyler opened the door with the smuggest grin Nathalie had ever seen in her life on his face. "Guess who dislikes slackers even more than you do?"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "What are you…?"

Tyler cut her off. "Tyrogue."

Nathalie covered her mouth, both to express her worry and to suppress a giggle. "You didn't actually…?"

"I never thought he'd be that strong, though," Tyler continued, "Straight-up hurled Mike out of his bed."

"Rrrrooogue!" Tyrogue yelled defiantly.

"Why did I let you travel with me again?" Mike wondered aloud.

Tyler grinned. "Do you mean Tyrogue or me?"

"Both," Mike groaned, dusting off his pajamas, "Give me a minute, I'll be right there."

"Rrrrrogue!" Tyrogue nodded approvingly as his trainer entered the bathroom.

"You know, I think catching Mike made a really great call by catching Tyrogue," Nathalie deduced, "If we can't keep him in check, I bet Tyrogue can."

Tyler nodded. "Good point. He got a really lucky break there."

Tyrogue grinned. "Rrrrrrogue."

"I swear I'm going feed you all to a Gyarados!" Mike promised, his voice slightly muffled from being in another room.

"Well, well," a voice sounded from behind Nathalie and Tyler, "I came to see what the ruckus was all about, and look who it is." Nathalie knew the voice. She wasn't happy about it.

The boy had apparently gotten rid of his casual wardrobe that consisted of a mere shirt and trousers. He now wore a more classy brown coat, with black trousers underneath. His sneakers had been replaced by more classy-looking brown shoes. If Nathalie wouldn't have been so displeased by seeing him of all people, she'd question how hot it must have been in those clothes this time of the year. "Mark."

The boy from Pallet Town smirked. "Nice to see you again too, Nathalie."

"I don't believe we met before?" Tyler tried, to no avail. Nathalie was too busy glaring at her former classmate to respond.

Mark bowed in a gesture that would seem respectful to everyone that didn't know him. "Mark Vaughun. Former classmate of Mike and Nathalie."

"Rrrrrrogue."

Nathalie only now noticed the Pokémon that was standing next to the boy. "You caught a Tyrogue too?" she cried.

"Oh, this little fellow?" Mark grinned, "Pretty rare sight around Mt. Moon, apparently. I got lucky finding one, if I'm honest. But it appears I'm not the only lucky one."

"Rrrrrogue." Mike's Tyrogue locked eyes with Mark's. Both stared at each other fiercely.

Mark looked at Mike's Fighting-type critically. "Who's the proud trainer of this little guy?"

"Oh, Mike caught him just yesterday," Tyler explained, not realizing where Nathalie's apparent dislike towards the boy came from.

"Ah. He only just reached Cerulean City." He shook his head. "Typical."

"What's so bad about that?" Nathalie clenched her fists. She wasn't about to let Mark insult her friend again. He had done that enough in the past.

Mark raised his hands in a defensive position. "Hey, hey. That's not bad at all." He grinned. "For an amateur, of course."

Suddenly Tyler was starting to see where Nathalie's distaste towards the boy sprouted from. "Hey, buddy. Backtalking isn't cool, y'know."

Mark shrugged. "Whatever. I guess he's here to challenge Misty, Cerulean's gym leader?"

"What if he is?" Nathalie was unusually snappy for her doing, forcing Tyler to take a step away from her. She couldn't help it. It was the blond boy's fault.

Mark gritted his teeth. "Tell him he can forget about it. Misty's way too strong." He looked away, obviously displeased. "I tried to challenge her yesterday. She simply thrashed me." He sighed. "If I can't do it, Mike doesn't stand a chance."

The room of the bathroom burst open. A fully dressed Mike walked out. "Hey, guys! I'm ready to-" He fell silent when he noticed Mark. "Oh."

Mark raised a hand. "Don't worry, man. It's all cool, I was leaving anyway. Good luck getting beaten up by Misty." He gave the group one last smirk, before heading off. Mark's Tyrogue broke off eye contact with Mike's to follow his trainer. "Later."

"What a jerk," Tyler stated, even though Mark wasn't out of sight yet. Tyler secretly hoped the blonde would still be able to hear him.

"You can say that again," Nathalie sighed.

"Anyone mind filling me in on what happened?" Mike asked.

"That guy -Mark, right?- said he got beaten by Misty, the gym leader here, yesterday," Tyler explained, "And apparently in his world that means you don't stand a chance against her and should just give up."

Mike rubbed his forehead. "Neat. If it wasn't Mark, I'd feel offended." He stepped out of the door. "Are you guys coming?"

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue was the first to join Mike. Looking back, it was kind of funny how Tyrogue actually listened to him. Mike had expected him to be much more of a handful after the whole ordeal with Parasect and the Paras.

Tyler and Nathalie exchanged glances, but stepped outside anyway. "So, where is the gym at, actually?" Tyler asked.

"Way ahead of you!" Nathalie beamed, "While you guys were busy not waking up…" She glared at the boys.

"Hey, not my fault!" Tyler retorted.

"…I went ahead and got us a map of the city!" she continued, folding out the map.

Mike looked over her shoulder. "So the gym is north?"

Nathalie nodded. "Yes, and there is-"

"North it is!" Mike dashed downstairs, closely followed by Tyrogue.

Nathalie sighed. "Wasn't he so tired he couldn't even get out of bed twenty minutes ago?"

Tyler shrugged. "You know him."

"So I do." Nathalie looked at the stairs. Mike had already disappeared out of sight. "I also know him well enough to know that he's going to end up lost if we don't go after him right now."

"Good point!" Tyler grinned, hurrying off after his female travelling companion.

* * *

 _Cerulean City  
28 June, 9:56 AM_

Compared to Pewter City, Cerulean City somehow seemed much less like a city. While Pewter was full of paved roads and rather tall buildings, Cerulean didn't seem to have any paved roads. Nor did it have many apartment buildings- rather, villas and bungalows took up the majority of the space. Another difference with the previous cities they had seen was that Cerulean was much, much greener. Of course Pewter and Viridian had parks as well, but Cerulean City looked like it was one big park.

"How much farther is it?"

"Mike, I swear to god!" Nathalie snapped, "This is the fourth time you asked! But if you have to know, it's just around the corner!"

"All right!" Mike looked down at Tyrogue. The scuffle Pokémon had insisted on walking with them, as opposed to returning to his Poké Ball. Maybe that was a good idea, considering Mike and he still needed to warm up to each other. "I'm going to use you in the gym battle, alright?"

"Rrrrrrogue!" Tyrogue nodded approvingly.

"Are you sure?" Tyler asked skeptically, "Tyrogue hasn't even battled with you yet. Plus, Misty is a pretty tough gym leader, from what we know."

"Don't worry!" Mike grinned, "You haven't seen Tyrogue fight in Mt. Moon! No Pokémon can compete with his brawns!"

"Rrrrogggue!"

"And here we are!" Nathalie announced, spreading her arms. The Cerulean gym somehow seemed…less intimidating than Pewter gym. The building was much smaller, and the light blue walls and roof felt much more welcoming. Much like the entire city did, actually.

The gym's doors buzzed open as they approached. From the inside, Cerulean Gym looked like nothing more than a huge swimming pool. The smell didn't help either- the whole building reeked of chlorine.

"Can I help you?" Mike's attention snapped to the receptionist. She looked like she was rather tired, but somehow still managed to retain her friendly smile.

"I'm here to challenge the gym leader!" Mike said.

"Oh." She rubbed her temples. "Excuse me, but how many badges do you have so far?"

"Only one," Mike replied, showing her his badge case.

She sighed. "I apologize. Leader Misty has passed a new rule in this gym- trainers with two badges or less first have to battle and win against one of her gym trainers, before being allowed to challenge the leader herself."

Tyler stepped forwards. "Is that even allowed? Back in the Pewter City gym…"

The receptionist raised a hand. "No more than a tenth of the challengers with two gym badges or less manage to obtain the Cascade Badge. She got absolutely swamped with challengers, most of which she beat effortlessly. Which also happens to be the reason for this drastic measure."

Tyler crossed his arms, clearly still dissatisfied with the answer. "If you say so."

"Anyhow." The receptionist pointed at a corridor on the left. "Pool number three. Your opponent will be waiting for you there. Good luck." The 'good luck' didn't seem heartily, but Mike thanked her anyway. The receptionist seemed to be happy enough to be left in peace.

"That gym leader must be a real diva," Tyler muttered, following Mike through the aisle.

"Whatever," Mike shrugged, "I get one extra battle out of it. Can't be bad, right?"

"I guess you're right," Tyler shrugged as well.

"Just make sure you win this one!" Nathalie warned, "Or else they won't let you issue a challenge to the gym leader!"

"Don't worry!" Mike grinned, "I've got Elekid with me! This battle's as good as won already!"

"Don't be too sure!" At the end of the corridor, a tanned girl in a light blue swimsuit was waiting for them. Her long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. "We aren't pushovers, you know!"

A second girl joined her. She nearly looked completely the same as her friend, except her hair had the color of milk chocolate. "I should notify you that this will be a double battle. So prepare two Pokémon." The two girls turned around and walked away, probably to take their place on the battlefield.

"A double battle?" Mike cried, "But I've never been in a double battle before!"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "What about the graduation exam?"

"That doesn't count!" Mike retorted, "I didn't have to control two Pokémon at the time, and our opponents weren't even trying to win back then!"

"Well, the hardest thing to do now is to choose which Pokémon you'll use," Tyler deduced, "Make a bad choice, and you already lost on beforehand."

"Thanks for the encouraging words," Mike sighed. The three entered the room, only to be surprised by the choice of battlefield. It literally was a huge swimming pool, with multiple small platforms scattered around.

"Shame you don't have a Water-type Pokémon," Nathalie noted.

"I'm aware," Mike replied bluntly.

Tyler scratched his chin. "Y'know, I think Elekid and Butterfree would be the best choices here. Elekid got the type advantage over Water-types, and Butterfree can avoid the water by flying."

"Not a bad idea!" Mike grinned. He tried to step forward to take up his spot on the field, when he felt something tugging at his leg.

"Rrrrrrogue." Tyrogue looked up at his trainer expectantly. "Rrrrrogue!"

"You want to battle too?" Mike asked.

"Rrrrrogueee!" Tyrogue flexed his muscles, giving Mike a nod.

Mike grinned. "Alright then! This will be our first real battle together, so let's make this a good one!"

Tyrogue grinned. "Rrrrrrogue!"

"Alright, champ!" the blonde called. She was standing on the other side of the field, next to her friend. "This is going to be a test battle between us and you! If you manage to beat Tina and me, you'll be given permission to battle Misty! If you lose, well, no badge for you!"

Tina raised a Poké Ball. "Stacey, ready to show this guy the combination attacks of the Cerulean Gym?"

Stacey grinned. "You bet!"

"Be careful, Mike!" Nathalie called.

"Don't worry!" Mike grinned, "Am I not always careful?"

"I think that's exactly why she's worried," Tyler stated, earning himself a huff from Mike.

"Enough about that." Stacey went with a hand through her hair. "Let's do this, Seel!"

Tina threw her Poké Ball in the air. "You too, Shellder!"

"Seeeeeel!" The first Pokémon that appeared had a light blue, almost fully white color. It had two flippers, and a small horn on its forehead. The Pokémon clapped its flippers against each other, as if it was excited to battle. "Seeeeeel!"

"Shellll!" The second Pokémon that materialized looked like a big bivalve shell, with two eyes peeking out of it. However, the most striking characteristic of its appearance was the large tongue sticking out of its shell.

"Seel and Shellder?" Mike wondered, taking out his Pokédex.

" _Seel, the sea lion Pokémon. Seel hunts for prey in the frigid sea underneath sheets of ice. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with the sharply protruding section of its head."_

" _Shellder, the bivalve Pokémon. At night, this Pokémon uses its broad tongue to burrow a hole in the seafloor sand and then sleep in it. While it is sleeping, Shellder closes its shell, but leaves its tongue hanging out."_

"Two Water-type Pokémon, huh?" Mike grinned, taking out a Poké Ball. "Perfect! Let's go, Elekid!"

Elekid materialized on the platform closest to Mike, letting out a defiant cry. "Eleeee!"

Mike turned around to face Tyrogue. "And you too, then!"

"Rrrrrogue!" Tyrogue darted forwards, jumping on the platform right next to Elekid. "Tyyyy!"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "Would that really be a good combination?"

Tyler looked at Mike's two Pokémon. "Maybe not. But I guess Mike wants to test out how well Tyrogue and he can work together. Plus…" He chuckled. "This is the way Mike does things, isn't it?"

"Good point," Nathalie admitted.

Stacey pointed at Mike. "The first move is yours! What are you waiting for?"

"Wait, no referee?" Mike questioned, looking around.

"Afraid not," Tina stated, "They're all busy with other matches at the moment. As you probably heard before, lots of challengers visit this gym."

"No prob." Tyler walked up to the referee's spot. "I'm used to this whole judging thing. Let me take care of things!"

Tina and Stacey exchanged a quick glance. "Alright then, but make it quick!" Stacey commanded.

Tyler nodded. "This will be a double battle between the challenger, Mike, and the gym trainers, Stacey and Tina! Both sides are allowed to only use two Pokémon! This match is over when both Pokémon on one side are unable to continue!"

Stacey stared at him. "You take this more seriously than most of our actual refs do."

Tyler ignored her. "The challenger gets the first move! Begin!"

"Alright, Elekid, Tyrogue!" Mike shouted, "Let's go!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Rrrrrogue!"

"Start off with a Thunder Shock on Shellder, Elekid!" Mike ordered, "And you use Foresight on Seel, Tyrogue!"

"Eleeeee!" Static energy sparkled in the air when Elekid gathered his strength to send a small electric jolt at Shellder.

"Rrrrrrogue!" Tyrogue's eyes shot two small red beams at Seel in an attempt to identify its moves.

"Into the water, Shellder!" Tina commanded.

"Shellll!" Mike was surprised at how quickly the Shellder jumped into the water, effectively dodging Thunder Shock and disappearing from view.

Seel, on the other hand, didn't receive a command, and thus took the Foresight from Tyrogue head-on. It didn't do any damage, but Seel cried out in surprise when the beams made contact.

"Okay then!" Mike snapped his fingers. "Elekid, another Thunder Shock on Seel! Tyrogue, you use Tackle!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid focused to shoot another blast of electricity at Seel.

"Tyyyy!" Tyrogue darted forwards, hopping from platform to platform to perform a full-body attack against Seel.

Stacey looked at the incoming Thunder Shock and grinned. "Headbutt, go!"

"Seeeeel!" Seel charged forwards in an attempt to meet Tyrogue head-on, fully ignoring the electric attack that was aimed for it.

Mike grinned as well. "Hey, if you want to charge right into Thunder Shock, be my guest!"

Stacey looked at Tina. The latter nodded. "Shellder, Withdraw! Protect Seel!"

"Shelll!" Just as Thunder Shock would have made contact, Shellder jumped out of the water in between Seel and the Electric-type attack. Its shell gleamed for a split second, all while the bivalve shell was closed. Thunder Shock pushed Shellder out of the way, back into the water, but the attack had been negated and Seel could move forwards freely.

"Seeeel!"

"Rrrrrrogue!" The Pokémon clashed with each other, using their respective close-range attacks. Both Seel and Tyrogue were thrown back and landed into the water. But unlike Seel, Tyrogue was not a perfect swimmer.

"Tyrogue!" Mike cried in alarm.

"Tyyyy!" Tyrogue screeched, doing his best to peddle back to one of the platforms.

"Oh no you don't!" Stacey grinned, "Seel, another Headbutt, let's go!"

"Seeeeel!" Right before Tyrogue would have reached the nearest platform, Seel appeared underneath it, making the scuffle Pokémon take another Headbutt to the face.

"Tyrogue!" Mike looked at Elekid. "You have to help him, Elekid! Use Leer to scare off Seel!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid leered menacingly at Seel, making the Water-type gulp in fear. The sea lion Pokémon retreated back underwater, giving Tyrogue the time to climb ashore.

"I hope you don't think you're out of trouble yet," Tina noted, "Because we have a lot more surprises waiting for you! Shellder, use Clamp on Tyrogue!"

"Shelllll!" Shellder once again sprang out of the water, clamping itself tightly around Tyrogue's left arm.

"Rrrrrrogue!" the Fighting-type cried out in pain as he tried to shake off the bivalve Pokémon, to no avail.

"Tyrogue!" Mike gritted his teeth. He could try Elekid's Leer again to scare Shellder off Tyrogue's arm, but if he timed it wrong, he could end up intimidating Tyrogue instead, making Shellder's Clamp hurt even more. And if he tried Thunder Shock, he'd shock Tyrogue as well!

"Hey!" Stacey's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "If you're not going to do anything, then we will! Seel, use Aurora Beam on Tyrogue!"

"Seeeeel!" Seel's head popped out of the water. Out of its mouth, the Water-type fired a multicolored beam that struck Tyrogue in the stomach.

"Mike!" Nathalie called, "Do something! Tyrogue is in serious trouble!"

"I'm trying!" Mike angrily retorted, "Elekid, use Thunder Shock on Seel!"

"Kidddd!" Another small beam of electricity was fired at Seel. Once again, the sea lion Pokémon dodged the attack by simply diving back underwater.

"That's no good," Mike muttered, "I have to do something about that Shellder first."

"Rrrrrrogue!" Tyrogue was getting really angry now. Mike could see him glare at Shellder defiantly. Much to Mike's surprise, Tyrogue's right hand shined briefly. He dealt a lightning-fast punch to the Shellder clamping around his arm, giving Tyrogue the chance to shake the dazed Water-type off his arm.

"What was that?" Mike wondered, checking his Pokédex. "Mach Punch?" he cried, "I didn't know you could use Mach Punch!"

Tyrogue nodded briefly, before taking on his battle stance once more. He seemed to already be in bad shape from the continuous attacks of Shellder and Seel, and his left arm seemed to have gone limp, but he was still not willing to give up. "Rrrrrogue!"

"We aren't done yet!" Stacey shouted, "Seel, use Ice Shard on Elekid, quick!"

"Seeeeel!" Seel's head popped up at the water's surface, creating a small block of ice before launching it at Elekid.

"Quick, Elekid!" Mike commanded, "Quick Attack, dodge that attack!"

"Eleeee!" In a yellow-and-black flash, Elekid darted to another platform. The Ice Shard purposelessly plunged into the water.

"Water Gun, now!" Tina commanded.

"Shellll!" Now it was Shellder's turn to appear at the surface. From behind Elekid, Shellder launched a cold blast of water, striking the Electric-type while his back was turned.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid cried in surprise.

"Elekid!" Mike called, "Use Quick Attack and get away from there! Join up with Tyrogue!"

"Kiddddd!" Once more, Elekid's Quick Attack made the electric Pokémon move quickly over the platforms, catching up with Tyrogue in no time. The two Pokémon stood back-to-back.

"Now you can't attack Tyrogue or Elekid from behind anymore!" Mike stated triumphantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure!" Stacey grinned. She looked at Tina. Both girls nodded.

"Double Aurora Beam!" they called in unison.

"Seeeeel!"

"Shellll!" The two Water-type Pokémon appeared next to each other, firing their respective Aurora Beams at Mike's Pokémon.

"Rrrrrogue!"

"Eleeeee!" In an attempt to dodge the two Ice-type attacks, Elekid and Tyrogue were forced to abandon their defensive position. Tyrogue managed to stumble away without falling into the water, but the force of the shock wave sent Elekid tumbling into the pool.

Mike grinned, remembering how he beat Brock. This was his chance. All he had to do was… "Elekid, get back on the platform, quickly!"

"Not so fast!" Stacey beamed, "Seel, Headbutt on Elekid!"

Just when Elekid nearly reached the platform, a black shadow appeared underneath him. "Elekid, Thunder Shock, quickly!" Mike commanded.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid's electric jolt electrified the water around him, zapping both himself and the Seel below him that was preparing to Headbutt. The pained Seel appeared at the surface.

"This is our chance!" Mike yelled, "Tyrogue, Mach Punch, quick!"

"Rrrrrrogue!" Tyrogue dashed at Seel at incredible speed, his right fist shining brightly.

"Shellder, Withdraw!" Tina countered, "Protect Seel!"

"Shelll!" Once again, Shellder jumped out of the water, using its Withdraw to shield Seel from all damage. But this time, it was barely even necessary- even before reaching Shellder, the shining on Tyrogue's fist died out, leaving the attack as nothing but a small thump.

"What happened?" Mike yelled in disbelief.

"Tyrogue must have not mastered Mach Punch yet!" Nathalie explained, "That's why the attack failed!"

Mike gritted his teeth. And just when everything was going so good! Seel and Shellder had taken off underwater again. Mike doubted whether they would be lured in by an obvious underwater Thunder Shock again. But how else could he battle an enemy that wasn't even visible?

"Rrrrrrogue!"

"Eleeee!" Both Elekid and Tyrogue climbed back ashore and took on their back-to-back stance again. Elekid seemed to still be in decent shape, but Tyrogue was panting from the multiple attacks he had to endure earlier in the match. If Mike couldn't end this quickly, Tyrogue would be in trouble. If only there was some way to predict where Shellder and Seel would attack from…

Mike's eyes widened and he subsequently grinned. Of course! "Tyrogue, concentrate! When Seel tries to attack, use your Tackle to stop it!"

"Rrrrroguee!" Tyrogue nodded, looking around attentively. The black shadow of the underwater Seel could not be seen…yet.

"Do you really think you can attack faster than we can?" Stacey shrugged. "Suit yourself. We'll use our combination attack once more!"

Tina nodded. "Double Aurora Beam!" they announced.

Seel and Shellder appeared at the surface together once more. However, Tyrogue reacted lightning-fast- right before Seel was able to fire its Aurora Beam, Tyrogue had hit it with Tackle, plunging both of them underwater.

"Shellll?" Surprised by the sudden attack of Tyrogue, Shellder seemed momentarily stunned, unable to fire its Aurora Beam.

"But how?" Stacey cried.

Mike grinned. "Simple! Remember the Foresight Tyrogue used at the start of the battle? But I'm not done yet! Elekid, Thunder Shock! Zap Shellder!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid cried defiantly when he gathered electricity around his antennae, firing them at the stunned Shellder.

"Shelllll!" The attack managed to hit Shellder right in the space between its two valves. The water also did its job, conducting Thunder Shock and dealing a massive amount of damage to the bivalve Pokémon.

"Shellder, no!" Tina yelled, to no avail. Shellder didn't seem to be able to respond.

"Shellder is unable to continue!" Tyler announced.

"Oh no…" Tina muttered, recalling her Shellder.

Stacey clenched her fists. "Don't worry! This match isn't over until it's over!" She turned her attention back to the battle. "Seel, use Headbutt!"

A loud splash could be heard when Seel appeared at the surface, hurling Tyrogue out of the water with a powerful Headbutt. With a loud smack, Tyrogue landed on his back on one of the platforms.

"Rrrrrogue…" Tyrogue winced in pain and held his left arm, but still stood up once more. "Rrrrrrogueeee!"

"He really doesn't give up, does he?" Nathalie wondered aloud, "I just hope Mike isn't pushing him too far…"

"Tyrogue, are you still good to go?" Mike called.

"Rrrrrrogue!" Tyrogue glanced at his trainer, signaling he still wanted to keep battling.

"How is Tyrogue still in the match?" Stacey cried, "Headbutt should have finished him off!"

Mike spread his arms. "Hey, this is Tyrogue we're talking about! He's super strong!"

Stacey rolled her eyes. "Whatever! Seel, Ice Shard on Tyrogue, now!"

"Seeeeeel!" Creating a lump of ice with its mouth, Seel fired the Ice Shard at the weakened Tyrogue.

"Defend yourself using Mach Punch!" Tyler ordered quickly, before realizing Tyrogue hadn't mastered Mach Punch yet.

"Tyyyy!" Tyrogue's right fist started shining. Mike was afraid it wouldn't last, but he managed to punch the Ice Shard to shreds without trouble.

"Mike!" Nathalie called, "Tyrogue can apparently only use Mach Punch for a short time! Only use it for close-range battling!"

"Got it!" Mike nodded. He gritted his teeth. In the meantime, Seel had taken off underwater again. And this time, he couldn't risk making Tyrogue use Tackle again- if the scuffle Pokémon took one more hit, it would probably be over for him. He had to time his attack perfectly, so that Elekid would be able to finish it off with Thunder Shock.

"Use Aurora Beam on Elekid!" Stacey ordered.

Seel quickly popped up, fired an Aurora Beam that hit a surprised Elekid, and dove back under. Even with Shellder out of the picture, Mike didn't get the chance to get a clear shot at Seel. It also didn't help his Pokémon were like sitting Psyduck to the attacking Seel.

Mike shook his head. He didn't see any other solution. "Elekid, dive into the water!"

"Eleeeeee?" Elekid gave Mike a surprised look, but heeded his order anyway. He slowly peddled around into the water. Mike knew that his Electric-type Pokémon wasn't the best swimmer, but at least Seel couldn't get near him this way.

"If you think you can lure out Seel to shock him like you did before, you've got another thing coming!" Stacey laughed, "Use Aurora Beam on Tyrogue!"

"Tackle!" Mike quickly called.

"Seeeeel!" Seel emerged from the water, but before being able to use Aurora Beam, Tyrogue had already hit him, forcing the sea lion Pokémon underwater.

"Now get out of there, Tyrogue!" Mike ordered, "And you use Thunder Shock on the location where Seel went underwater, Elekid!"

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue swam away as quickly as possible. Half a second after Tyrogue was out of range, Thunder Shock rained down on the water where Seel was. Just like it did with Shellder, the water conducted the Electric-type attack, dealing loads of damage to Seel.

"Oh no!" Stacey called worriedly.

Seel emerged on the surface. "Seeeel…" he called weakly.

"Seel is unable to continue!" Tyler cheerfully announced, "Elekid and Tyrogue win! The victory goes to Mike!"

"All right!" Mike pumped his fist in the air. "We did it, guys!"

"Tyyyyyy!"

"Eleeeee!"

Stacey crossed her arms and sighed. "Electric-type Pokémon. Always the Electric-type Pokémon."

Tina shrugged. "It can't be helped. A win is a win." She walked over to Mike. "Congratulations. We'll send a message to the reception that Mike… What was your surname?"

"Redwood!" Mike was grinning widely. "Mike Redwood!"

"Ooooh-kay. Mike Redwood it is." Tina smiled. "Well, you're now able to challenge Misty! Lucky you!"

Stacey rushed over to her friend's side. "Oh, and, uh. If you would be so kind to not mention anything about this double battle to the receptionist, that would be stellar."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Stacey fiddled with her hair. "Welllll…" Tina started, "A double battle may or may not have been the wrong battle format. And the battle format for the test matches may or may not be singles."

"Are you serious right now?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"Oh, but your victory still counts, mind you!" Stacey piped up, "Only, um, it won't if you tell the receptionist. Because rules are dumb."

"Either way," Tyler shrugged, joining the group, "You won. So it doesn't really matter, does it? Look at it like…uh…a way of integrating Tyrogue into your team!"

Mike snuck a glance at Elekid and Tyrogue, who were still out of their Poké Balls. The former was happily conversating with the latter, apparently not noticing that the Fighting-type was rather worn out. "Fair enough."

"Shouldn't you recall them now?" Nathalie asked worriedly, "Tyrogue is pretty hurt after all!"

Mike grinned. "Tyrogue's a tough guy. Right?"

Tyrogue turned around and gave Mike a tired smile. "Rrrrrrogue!"

Nathalie crossed her arms. "Sometimes I really wonder whether you know what you're doing."

* * *

 _Cerulean City Gym_  
 _11:31 AM_

"Five days?" Mike slumped against the nearest wall, as if he was just given the news that he had only five days left to live.

"C'mon, man." Tyler patted his back, "It ain't that bad."

" _Five days_ , Tyler!" Mike said in shock, "What am I going to do in the meantime?" He ran over to the receptionist. "Are you sure there isn't a spot open earlier?"

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Leader Misty will be hosting the Rookie Tournament at the Nugget Bridge for the next three days, and the day after is already fully booked."

"What about today?" Mike asked hopefully, "Is there any spot left today?"

"Nope."

Elekid and Tyrogue exchanged glances. Both were looking forward to the gym battle, and just like Mike, they weren't happy that it got postponed. But at least they didn't make a scene like their trainer did.

Nathalie sighed. "Come on, Mike. You'll have more than enough time to sulk in the future."

"Five days, Nathalie!" Mike cried.

"We'll find something else to do in the meantime," Tyler assured him, "Besides, you can use that time to help Tyrogue to master Mach Punch."

The door to the stands opened. A girl with short dark blond hair and blue eyes walked up. She looked at Mike in surprise, pushing up her glasses.

"Don't mind us," Nathalie sighed, "For his doing, this isn't even abnormal." Nathalie noticed that the girl seemed somewhat nervous, taking into account the way she was fiddling with her blue-and-purple striped shirt and her pink skirt.

The receptionist gestured at the girl. "Your companion should be here shortly."

The girl nodded softly. "Okay, thank you."

"Did your friend challenge the gym leader here?" Nathalie asked.

"Y-yes!" the girl responded, "She lost, though… Misty's just as strong as the rumors say she is..." Nathalie heard Mike groan at that statement.

The automatic doors to the arena buzzed open. A familiar tall girl with short brown-blond hair and brown eyes walked out. She had apparently traded in her white shirt with Poké Ball print for a green version, but her trademark blue jeans were still there. "Darn… So close! I guess I wasn't really prepared yet, Sasha." She briefly fell silent when she saw who her friend was talking to, before grinning widely. "Hey, Nathalie, Mike!" Tessa greeted them, "How's it going?"

* * *

 **I apologize if I got your hopes up, but it looks like it'll still be some time before Mike can face off against Misty in a gym battle! In the meantime, it looks like our group will have to do something else, but I'm sure that a decent amount of you already have an idea of what will take place in the next chapter(s?).**

 **Also, two familiar faces make a reappearance! Mark's usual behavior hasn't declined, and his second Pokémon has been revealed- a Tyrogue, no less! However, despite that, he was still unable to claim victory against the Cerulean City gym leader. Tessa has also made a new appearance, and just like her former classmate, lost against Misty.**

 **Next chapter...will be a surprise. Though a rather big hint has already been dropped.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read through this chapter of 'Pokémon - Kanto Journey', and have a good day!**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Static  
\- Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Butterfree  
\- Female  
\- Bug/Flying-type  
\- Compound Eyes  
\- Tackle, Sleep Powder, Confusion, Gust

Sandshrew  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Sand Rush  
\- Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch, Poison Sting

Tyrogue  
\- Male  
\- Fighting-type  
\- Vital Spirit  
\- Tackle, Foresight, Mach Punch (in progress)

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Overgrow  
\- Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle

Tyler's team:

Cubone  
\- Female  
\- Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang

Geodude  
\- Male  
\- Rock/Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Tackle, Rollout, Defense Curl, Rock Throw


	9. Chapter 9: Rookie Rumblin'

**Looks like the curse of the 'two uploads before disappearing' has hereby been broken!**

 **Last time, we saw how the group arrived in Cerulean City, where Mike wished to challenge the gym leader, Misty! After a brief encounter with Mike's rival Mark, they were headed for the Cerulean gym. However, due to gym regulations, Mike was forced to battle two of the gym trainers before challenging Misty. Having emerged victorious with Elekid and Tyrogue, Mike was given the message that it would be no less than five days before he'd be able to challenge the gym leader. But their trip wasn't all in vain- at the same time, Tessa exited the battlefield, having lost her gym battle against the Cerulean gym leader!**

* * *

 _Cerulean City Pokémon Center  
28 June 2008, 12:26 PM_

The group, now having met up with Tessa and her travelling companion, was sitting around a table in the Pokémon Center. Tessa took a sip from her coffee. "…And so Sasha and I met when I was in Pewter City."

Sasha fiddled with her shirt. It was obvious that the shy girl wasn't used to being the center of attention.

"Anyway!" Tessa quickly continued, turning her attention to Tyler, "Tyler, was it? How did you meet Mike and Nathalie?"

"Oh, y'know." Like Mike and Sasha, Tyler had preferred to choose a cup of hot chocolate as opposed to the coffee Nathalie and Tessa were drinking. "I used to be a gym trainer back at the Pewter City gym, but after bailing Mike out of trouble a few times…"

"Only once!" Mike interrupted him.

"Don't forget the training I helped you with for the rematch against Brock!" Tyler reminded him, grinning. "Anyway, I thought it'd be a good chance for me to become a better trainer, so here I am!"

Tessa nodded. "Fair enough, fair enough."

Mike leaned forwards. "So, how many badges have you got so far?"

Tessa sighed. "Only one." She took out her badge case, showing the others that she only had the Boulder Badge so far. "You?"

Mike scratched his right cheek. "Same here. I wanted to challenge Misty one of these days, but…" He looked away, disgruntled.

"Yeaaaah." Tessa leaned back. "You may want to use the extra time you got for a bit of training. Seriously. Brock was a tough opponent for me because he was strong. Misty is not only strong, she knows how to use her field as well."

"I just don't know what to do in the meantime," Mike sighed, "Training is cool and all, but I really don't want to spend a full five days doing nothing but training."

Nathalie was about to say something, but Tessa cut her off. "Only training? Dude, haven't you heard about the Nugget Bridge Rookie Tournament yet?"

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Uh, should I have?"

Nathalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, actually. Don't you remember the gym's receptionist mentioning it?"

Mike looked at his female travelling companion in surprise. "Should I?" he repeated.

Nathalie buried her head in her hands. "God, you're hopeless."

Tessa grinned. "Good to see that some things never change. Anyway, Mike. The tournament is pretty simple. You're assigned an opponent to battle in either a one-vs-one, two-vs-two or three-vs-three single battle. Win and you move on to the next round. Lose and you're eliminated."

"But what about the more experienced trainers?" Mike asked, "Do we even stand a chance against those?"

Tessa laughed. "It's called a _Rookie_ Tournament for a reason, Mike! First off, only trainers with three gym badges or less are allowed to participate. Secondly, only trainers who have not yet participated in a Pokémon League tournament may enter! Third…" She frowned. "I forgot. I'm so sure there was a third rule too."

"Only trainers that have participated in at least one gym battle, regardless of the outcome, may enter," Sasha added, "And you need to have at least three Pokémon to participate."

Tessa's smile returned. "Yeah, that was it! Thanks, Sasha!"

The girl blushed, looking away. She _really_ wasn't used to being in larger groups of people.

"Sooo…" Tyler leaned back. "Trainers that haven't battled a gym leader in an official gym battle can't participate, right?"

Tessa shook her head. "Nope. League challengers only."

Tyler crossed his arms, obviously disappointed he couldn't take part. "Shame."

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway," Nathalie shrugged, "You don't have three Pokémon, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Tyler nodded, before his expression turned sad. "If only Nidoran would have joined my team…"

Mike ignored Tyler's issues. "When is the tournament being held?"

Nathalie poked Mike with her elbow. "Are you serious?"

Mike cluelessly stared at Nathalie. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe because the receptionist did mention that the tournament would be held the next three days?" she reminded him.

"She did?"

Tessa laughed out loud. "Oh man, some things _really_ never change, do they? But for real, if you want to participate, you better head over to the Nugget Bridge."

Mike abruptly stood up, nearly knocking over his half full cup of hot chocolate. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!"

Tyler rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless. Tessa also stood up. "Nathalie, Sasha, are you coming?"

Tessa's companion softly shook her head, apparently preferring to not go with the big group. Nathalie noticed her fiddling with her cup.

Tessa shrugged. "Alright then. Nathalie?"

Nathalie looked away from Sasha at Tessa. "Nah." She held up her cup. "I still have some coffee left." A quick glance at Sasha told her that the girl didn't seem particularly pleased with the unexpected company.

"Aw, c'mon, Nathalie!" Tyler tried, "Who else is gonna-"

His sentence was cut short by Mike grabbing his arm, dragging him to the Center's exit. "C'mon! We have to get to the Nugget Bridge!"

"I'll lead the way!" Tessa waved at the two girls that would remain behind. "We'll be back soon, don't worry!"

And then they were all gone, leaving Nathalie behind with Sasha. The shy girl seemed unhappy, not even sipping from her chocolate.

After a silence of about two minutes, Nathalie decided it was enough. "So, are you a trainer too?"

Sasha seemed to snap out of her thoughts, as if she was surprised by the idea of anyone starting conversation with her. Nathalie wondered how a girl like this could have ever gathered the courage to ask Tessa to tag along. "Y-yes. But I've only just started, and…well…"

"Same as me then!" Nathalie smiled. Much to her relief, she saw a glimpse of a smile appear on Sasha's face as well. "Come to think of it, since becoming a trainer, I haven't even battled yet."

Sasha shook her head. "Me neither. I-I mean, I don't really get what it's all about… But Tessa always looks so happy when she's battling, and her Pokémon do too!"

Nathalie thought of Mike and Tyler. "I know that feeling better than you may think."

"U-um…" Sasha looked down, fiddling with her shirt. "T-then that means we should be about equally strong, right?"

Nathalie looked at the girl in surprise. Though Sasha hadn't exactly stated what she wanted, Nathalie could already tell what she was getting at. "Should be. Why'd you ask?"

"U-um… Well…" Her cheeks flushed a bright red. "W-w-would you…m-maybe…?"

"Have a battle with you?" Nathalie tried.

"Yes!" Sasha piped up happily, before fiddling with her shirt again, "I-I mean, if it's no trouble to you, of course…"

Nathalie smiled. Sasha was surprisingly straightforward once you broke the ice. "I mean, I'm not really a battler… But I am curious to learn what my Pokémon can do in battle!"

"M-me too!" Sasha nodded, "I just…never really dared to challenge anyone before. Most trainers just look so strong and I'm…so not strong."

Nathalie felt something sting in her chest. The girl basically had just called her a weak trainer, although unintentionally. Nathalie quickly shrugged off the feeling of uneasiness. "You don't know until you try, I guess?" she laughed.

A smile slowly appeared on Sasha's face. "I-I guess you're right."

"Chaaaans?" Nathalie quickly jumped up as she heard the sudden sound behind her, only to realize it was the nurse's Chansey. The nurse herself was standing next to Chansey, holding out a plate with two Poké Balls on it.

"I'm sorry if Chansey startled you," the nurse apologized, "She isn't always the best at subtlety."

"Chaannss!" Chansey puffed up her cheeks.

"Anyway," the nurse continued, "Is…" She looked at the trainer card that lied next to the Poké Balls. "…Mike Redwood still here? His Pokémon have been fully healed."

Nathalie facepalmed. Mike had brought in Elekid and Tyrogue after his battle against the Cerulean gym trainers, and he actually forgot to pick them and his trainer card up before rushing to the registration board. "Quick question. Can one register for the Rookie Tournament without their trainer card?"

The nurse looked at her strangely. "I don't think so. Why?"

Nathalie closed her eyes, dropping her head into her hands. "Mike, why." She looked back at the nurse. "Listen, do you mind if we take these to him now?"

The nurse shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Safety regulations."

Nathalie groaned in frustration, before an idea came to her. She pressed the buttons on Mike's Poké Balls before the nurse could prevent her, releasing Elekid and Tyrogue.

"Eleeeee!"

"Rrrrrogue!" Both Pokémon seemed to be rather happy about being in top form again.

Nathalie kneeled down. "Elekid, Tyrogue, you both know me, right? I've been travelling with you and Mike for some time now, right?"

Elekid and Tyrogue exchanged unsure glances. Nathalie wondered whether the Pokémon thought she had completely lost it. The duo -albeit reluctantly- nodded anyway.

Nathalie triumphantly looked at the nurse, who sighed. "I guess the Pokémon have no reason to lie."

Nathalie smiled happily as she collected the Poké Balls and trainer card, before turning to Sasha. "Listen, I have to go after Mike now."

"I'll… I'll wait here." Sasha didn't look all too happy about their battle getting interrupted before it even started, nor did she look keen on meeting up with Mike and Tyler again.

Nathalie nodded, understanding. "Alright then. Elekid, Tyrogue, let's go! We have to catch up with your mess of a trainer!"

* * *

 _Nugget Bridge  
1:28 PM_

Mike looked in surprise at the woman sitting behind the registry desk. "Hey, you're the same from before!"

The receptionist from the Cerulean gym rolled her eyes. "You are too."

Tessa borderline forcefully pushed Mike away. "Let me handle this." She smiled at the receptionist as if nothing was going on. "Sorry about that. We're here to register him in the Rookie Tournament."

The receptionist leaned back, taking a look at the computer screen next to her. "That should be manageable… Though consider yourself lucky- registry would have already been closed now if the amount of people we expected to register _had_ actually registered." She looked back to Mike. "Your trainer card, please."

Mike nodded quickly. "Sure…" His hand trailed off to his pockets, only to realize that he didn't bring his trainer card with him. It must have still been in the Pokémon Center.

Tyler shook his head. "You forgot it at the Center, didn't you?"

"No, wait… Hold on!" Mike was now aggressively rummaging through his pockets. "It's here somewhere, I'm sure of it…"

The receptionist folded her arms, obviously displeased with the youngsters for wasting her time.

"Mike!" The group turned around to see Nathalie running at them, Elekid and Tyrogue in tow. "You forgot your trainer card at the Center!"

Tyler rubbed his forehead. "Mike, you really are one of a kind. I hope you know that."

Mike scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, receiving his trainer card from his female travelling companion. "Heheheh…"

The receptionist impatiently tapped the desk. "Could we please get this registration on the road now? I'm itching for my lunch break!"

Mike noticed that her usual friendly façade was dropping _really_ quickly as he handed over his trainer card. "Here you go."

"Thank you." She scanned his trainer card. "Hmm… Mike Redwood from Pallet Town, 16 years old, only got one gym badge. Is this information correct?" Mike nodded. "Very well then." She handed him his trainer card back, apparently relieved to be…well, relieved from her duties.

"Speaking about lunch." Tessa rubbed her belly. "I could do for a sandwich right now. Preferably the big kind."

"Hey, same here!" Tyler grinned.

"That running did make me hungry. A little," Nathalie admitted.

Mike spread his arms. "Then it's settled! Lunchtime!"

* * *

 _Cerulean City  
1:56 PM_

"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" Tyler cheered. The group, once more joined by Sasha, was sitting at one of the benches outside the Pokémon Center. A basket of sandwiches lied in front of them. "Time to dig in!"

"W-wait!" Sasha interrupted him, surprising everyone. Her cheeks became redder than the flame on the tail of a Charizard. "I-I mean, shouldn't we let our Pokémon dig in as well?"

"Good idea!" Tessa nodded, "That way I get to meet your new Pokémon as well, Mike!"

"Right back atcha!" Mike grinned, before taking out his four Poké Balls. "Come on out, guys!"

"Eleeeeee!"

"Freeeeee!"

"Saaaand!"

"Rrrrrrogue!" Butterfree took up her favorite spot on Mike's head. Elekid happily grinned at the trainers in front of them, while Sandshrew gave them his signature thumbs-up. Tyrogue flexed his muscles, seemingly more interested in training than in food.

Tyler dug up his two Poké Balls from his pockets. "It's chow time!"

"And we shouldn't forget about you either!" Nathalie piped up, releasing her Pokémon as well.

"Cuuuuuh!"

"Geeoohh!"

"Bulbaaaah!" Cubone appeared next to Tyrogue, which didn't go unnoticed by the scuffle Pokémon. Geodude carefully assessed the new trainers. Bulbasaur happily waved at Tessa with his vines, recognizing her from the trainer school.

"Butterfree, Tyrogue and Cubone, huh…" Tessa muttered, taking out her Pokédex, "That's awesome! And, that Sandshrew…?"

"The very same one from the trainer school," Mike proudly stated.

"Seems like you caught yourself some pretty powerful Pokémon!" Tessa grinned, "But, hey, that's to be expected, isn't it?" She took out three Poké Balls. "Well then, my turn! Come on out, guys!"

"Chaaaaar!"

"Odddd!"

"Psyyyyy?" Charmander happily greeted his old friends Bulbasaur, Elekid and Sandshrew. A small blue Pokémon with multiple leaves on its head met eyes with Geodude. The duo stared attentively at each other. A yellow biped Pokémon with a large beak was vacantly staring off in the distance.

"Those are Oddish and Psyduck, aren't they?" Mike noted, booting up his Pokédex.

" _Oddish, the weed Pokémon. During the daytime, Oddish buries itself in soil to absorb nutrients from the ground using its entire body. The more fertile the soil, the glossier its leaves become."_

" _Psyduck, the duck Pokémon. Psyduck uses a mysterious power. When it does so, this Pokémon generates brain waves that are supposedly only seen in sleepers. This discovery spurred controversy among scholars."_

"Yup!" Tessa smiled. "Without Oddish I'd have never beaten Brock, and Psyduck is much more reliable than he looks too!"

"Psyyyy?" Psyduck tilted his head a little, looking at Tessa curiously.

Tessa nervously scratched the back of her head. "Well, usually."

"U-um…" Sasha took out a Poké Ball. "You come on out too!"

"Puuuufff!" A pink ball of fur landed on the ground, right in the middle of the group of Pokémon. The Jigglypuff smiled gleefully at all the new Pokémon.

"Wow, a Jigglypuff!" Mike cried.

" _Jigglypuff, the balloon Pokémon and the evolved form of Igglybuff. Jigglypuff's vocal cords can freely adjust the wavelength of its voice. This Pokémon uses this ability to sing at precisely the right wavelength to make its foes most drowsy."_

"Oh, that's right!" Nathalie recalled, "Sing is the signature move of a Jigglypuff, right?"

Sasha softly nodded. "It's a pretty reliable move…" She looked away. "Or so people say."

Nathalie also looked away. She could see that Sasha was disappointed about their battle being delayed, but she also somehow knew that the girl wouldn't want to battle with everyone else around.

"H-here you go, guys…" Sasha muttered as she put bowls of Pokéfood in front of all the Pokémon. Most of them cheered, bar Psyduck, who was still staring off in the distance.

"Hey, Tessa," Mike asked between two bites in, "Are there any special rules to the Rookie Tournament? I mean, ones I haven't heard about yet?"

Tessa took a big bite out of her sandwich. "Yeah! First two rounds are qualifiers, so they're only one-vs-one battles. Only sixteen people are supposed to pass the qualifiers, after which three rounds of two-vs-two battles are held. The last and final round consists of a three-vs-three battle."

"Um…" Sasha chimed in, "There's another rule, actually. Substitutions are not allowed for any trainer throughout the entirety of the tournament."

"Hm…" Nathalie mused, "That means you have to pick your Pokémon very carefully, Mike."

"Don't worry!" Mike gave her a wink. "All my Pokémon are able to hold their own, even at a disadvantage!"

Tyler toyed with one of his Poké Balls. "I'd like to see you try and battle a Pokémon like, say, Geodude with Elekid."

Mike gave him a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, we'll find a way!"

Tessa grinned. "That's the spirit! By the way, I expect you to not lose before we meet each other in the tournament- it'd be a shame!"

Mike grinned back. "You got yourself a deal!"

Tyler leaned back. "Yeah, but don't forget that the others will also be going for the victory. Besides, you're all around the same skill level." He frowned for a moment. "I wonder if that guy we met this morning will also be participating."

Mike's grin quickly disappeared. "That's right, Mark is still around too. I nearly forgot."

"Mark is also here?" Tessa cried.

Nathalie nodded. "Afraid so. And there's a good possibility that he'll be participating in the tournament as well."

Tessa scratched her chin. "Let me reword previous promise. I expect you to not lose to anyone, _especially_ Mark, until we can battle, Mike!"

Mike clenched his fists. "Don't expect me to!"

"Be careful, though," Tyler warned them, "Your 'old pal' hasn't been sitting still either!"

"Talking about sitting still." Mike took a final bite of his sandwich. "We shouldn't be sitting here when the tournament's on tomorrow! Right, guys?" He turned towards his Pokémon.

"Rrrrrrogue!"

"Shreeeew!" Tyrogue and Sandshrew seemed to fully agree with Mike's sentiments, but Elekid and Butterfree seemed more reluctant. Especially Elekid, who didn't seem to want to abandon his lunch.

"Yeah!" Tessa stood up as well. "Charmander, Psyduck, Oddish, we should get to training as well!"

"Chaaaaar!" Charmander pumped his fist in the air. Oddish seemed, much like Elekid and Butterfree, less happy about leaving her food behind. Psyduck was still vacantly staring off.

"Y'know what?" Tyler cracked his knuckles. "Cubone, Geodude, are you guys in the mood for a bit of training as well?"

"Cuuuuuuh!"

"Geeooooh!" Tyler seemed to be the only trainer who had full support of all his Pokémon.

Nathalie leaned forwards towards Sasha. "Do you want to have that battle while the others are out training?" she whispered.

The shy girl seemed taken aback, as if she hadn't expected Nathalie to remember. She then softly shook her head. "I'll…wait until after the tournament."

Nathalie was a little disappointed, but nodded anyway.

"Hey!" Tessa's voice. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Oh, nothing." Nathalie put up her most innocent smile. "Just chitchatting."

"If you say so." Tessa looked at Bulbasaur and Jigglypuff. "Mind if we borrow your Pokémon for a second? Any sparring partners are welcome this training session."

Nathalie smiled at Tessa, then at Bulbasaur. "You okay with that, Bulbasaur?"

"Bulbaaaah!" Bulbasaur nodded, apparently eager to have a bit of action.

"Who am I to say no to Bulbasaur?" Nathalie shrugged. "Be good!"

"Bulbaaaaah!"

"I-if Jigglypuff is okay with it, it's okay," Sasha mumbled.

"Puffff!" Jigglypuff rolled away to where the boys and the other Pokémon were.

"Guess you got your answer there!" Tessa laughed, "Anyway, later!" She ran off to the boys, who were already impatiently waiting for Tessa to show up.

Nathalie grinned. "She's so alike to Mike and Chris."

"Who's Chris?" Sasha asked.

"Oh, he's a former classmate of ours," Nathalie explained, "Just like Mark. Well, except Chris is a friend. Mark is…not really a friend."

Sasha nodded silently, looking off in the distance to where the others had disappeared.

Nathalie fiddled with her fingers. The silence was a bit awkward, but she didn't really know of a way to break the ice _again_. "So, why did you become a trainer?" she attempted.

"I…" Sasha looked down. "Please don't laugh."

"I won't, promise," Nathalie swore.

Sasha breathed in deeply. "I…wanted to take the League challenge and battle gym leaders." She held her left arm. "But when I received Jigglypuff… I was afraid to get into battles. I thought I'd make an idiot out of myself and my Pokémon. So I…never tried battling."

Nathalie stared at the other girl briefly. "I can understand that. It's the same thing with me, actually." She went silent for a moment. "Well, to be honest I never really wanted to take the League challenge anyway, but…"

"R-really?" Sasha asked, "Then why did you become a Pokémon trainer?" She began blushing again. "I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"

"It's okay, it's okay," Nathalie smiled, "A bit personal, but… My brother is a pretty famous trainer, you see. And…my parents kind of expect the same from me." She sighed. "I've never been one for battling, though. So I guess I went with Mike and Tyler to show my parents that there's more to Pokémon than battling? I really don't know. Does that make sense?"

Sasha blinked, then smiled. Nathalie noticed that that was the first time she saw the girl smile spontaneously. "No, I understand. Well, I-I don't know how it must feel for you… But I can understand that sentiment."

Nathalie nodded. The conversation had taken an unexpectedly touchy turn, which in turn made the awkward silence return.

Nathalie stretched out. "Sooo… You want to go see how the others are doing?"

Sasha looked unsure for a few seconds, but then nodded. "I guess I'll tag along…"

Nathalie smiled. "I bet Bulbasaur and Jigglypuff are training really hard too! Who knows, maybe they'll even learn a new move or something?"

Sasha looked at Nathalie in surprise, but then smiled again. "Y-yes, let's!"

* * *

 _Nugget Bridge  
29 June 2008, 10:55 AM_

"I never expected there would be this many people!" Mike said in awe. The day before Mike and Tessa had been training nearly non-stop for the Nugget Bridge tournament. He was so pumped for it, that he even woke up earlier. But apparently the briefing hadn't started yet.

Tessa crossed her arms. "Yeah, I expected there would be some people, but this…" She pointed at the huge crowd in front of her. "I can't believe that receptionist said they expected even more."

"It does explain why the Cerulean Gym got so many challengers recently," Tyler noted.

"I guess you're right," Mike nodded.

"Welcome, trainers!" a voice boomed from somewhere in front of the crowd. A red-haired tomboyish girl was talking through a microphone. "First of all, I would like to thank all of our participants! This contest wouldn't be possible without you!" Loud cheers erupted from the crowd. The girl raised a hand, successfully subduing most of the applause. "My name is Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean City gym leader and host of this tournament!" Another volley of applause.

"Are we getting a boring speech now?" Mike sighed.

"Shhhh!" Nathalie shushed him.

"I know all of you are itching to get to the battles," Misty continued, putting a smile on Mike's face, "So I won't drag this out for too long! We have prepared no less than ten arenas for the participants here, so that we always have at least one battle going on!" She fished up a piece of paper from her pocket. "The first round will be qualifiers! Trainers will battle their opponent in a one-vs-one single battle!" She gestured at the speakers around her. Mike hadn't even noticed them- it did made sense for them to be turned on, otherwise her voice could have never sounded as loud. "Due to lack of a better system, your opponent will be announced like this! So make sure you pay attention!"

The crowd started mumbling. Some of them were obviously displeased, and Mike was amongst them. He could barely pay attention _now_ , what made her think he'd be able to pay attention while he was watching the battles?

Nathalie poked him with her elbow. "Don't worry. I'll keep track of what she's saying."

Mike sighed in relief. "Where would I be without you?"

Nathalie grinned. "Who knows? Probably still lost in Viridian Forest, I'd think!"

"Er-hem!" Misty was trying to catch the attention of the crowd again. "Some of our entrants -notably the ones with more badges- do not have to battle in the first round. However, everyone that hasn't already been knocked out yet will have to battle in the second round, so stick around!" The mumbling returned. "I see that you're all very…eager to begin!" Misty announced, "So I won't keep you all waiting! The first matchups of round one will be the following! Arena one, Heather Olvis versus Roderick Zekiel…"

Mike's attention spiked when she listed the people that would already be battling. However, he didn't seem to be with the first batch of people, and neither did Tessa.

Misty coughed. "…Arena nine, Pieter Kendrick versus Gale Nathaniels. And arena ten, Trent William versus Mark Vaughun. That's all for now. The rest of your battles will be announced as soon as the other battles finish!"

Both Mike and Tessa veered up when they heard the mention of Mark's name. "So he's participating after all!" Mike cried.

Tessa clenched her fists. "Well, we aren't battling yet anyway. Might as well go check out what Mark is planning to do!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Mike grinned.

Arena ten seemed to be basic enough- just like the other arenas, it was just a simple earthen floor with nothing else on it. Mark had taken place on one side of the field. His opponent -Trent, was it?- was a young man wearing a Poké Ball hat, complete with red and white coloring. His wardrobe consisted of casual jeans and a white-gray shirt.

The referee took his place. "This will be a one-vs-one qualifier battle between Trent Williams and Mark Vaughun! The match is over when one of the two Pokémon is unable to continue! Prepare your Pokémon now!"

Mark confidently took out one of his Poké Balls. His opponent did the same.

"Trainers, send out your chosen Pokémon!" the ref ordered.

"Let's do this!" Trent grinned, "I choose you!"

The Pokémon that materialized was known to about any trainer in existence. Its yellow coloring, half-long ears, bolt-shaped tail and red cheeks had become kind of a symbol for trainers. "Pikaaaah!"

"Oh wow, a Pikachu!" Mike grinned, booting up his Pokédex.

" _Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu. This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up."_

"Pikachu, huh?" Nathalie mused, "I wonder if Mark chose a Pokémon that can deal with it. I mean, his Magby and Tyrogue should be pretty evenly matched against it, right?"

"Or maybe he'll even use a different Pokémon!" Tessa beamed.

"Well, you're about to see." Tyler pointed at Mark, who was getting ready to reveal his Pokémon.

"All right, your turn!" Mark called, throwing his Poké Ball into the air. The Pokémon that emerged was yellow, just like Pikachu, but that was about the only similarity they had. This Pokémon was biped, with two brown extensions on his shoulders that almost looked like armor. Its eyes looked like they were permanently closed.

"Raaaaah."

"An Abra!" Mike called in surprise, bringing out his Pokédex once more.

" _Abra, the psi Pokémon. Abra sleeps for eighteen hours a day. However, it can sense the presence of foes even while it is sleeping. In such a situation, this Pokémon immediately teleports to safety."_

"I really hope for Mark that Abra isn't sleeping right now!" Tessa grinned.

"Would it really matter?" Nathalie remarked, "I mean, the Pokédex _does_ say that Abra can use Teleport even while sleeping. So maybe it can also battle?"

"Both trainers ready?" the referee called, "Then begin!"

"Alright, Pikachu!" Trent grinned, "Let's wrap this up quickly! Use Quick Attack!"

"Pikaaaaah!" Pikachu wasted no time dashing forwards. The mouse Pokémon seemed to be aiming for Abra's chest.

Mark smirked. "Abra, Teleport."

"Raaaaaah." With a flash, Abra was gone one second before Pikachu would be able to strike it.

"Pikaaaaah?" the Electric-type Pokémon cried in surprise.

"And now, follow up with a Confusion!" Mark ordered.

"Raaaaah." Abra reappeared in front of Trent. A blue gleam appeared in its closed eyes. Pikachu was surrounded by the same blue energy.

"Pikachu!" Trent yelled worriedly.

"Now, Abra!" Mark pointed at one of the walls in the arena. "Hurl Pikachu against the wall!"

"Abbbraaaah." With a mere movement of its hand, Abra sent Pikachu crashing into the nearest wall. The Electric-type cried in pain.

"Ouch," Tyler grimaced, "That must have hurt."

Nathalie nodded. "That Abra is really strong. Combine that with Teleport…"

Tessa had a distasteful look on her face. "That guy won't have it easy."

"Pikachu!" Trent commanded, "Go in close with another Quick Attack!"

"Pikaaaaah!" Pikachu took off once again.

"Wait, why would he try that again?" Sasha asked, confused.

Mike had his arms crossed. "Not sure. I hope he knows what he's doing."

Mark shrugged. "Abra, Teleport."

"Raaaaaah." Once more, Abra disappeared right before Pikachu had the chance to strike it, this time reappearing in front of Mark.

"We've got them now, Pikachu!" Trent pointed at Abra, "Use Thunder Shock!"

"Pikaaaah!" Pikachu's cheeks crackled as it created a small electric jolt and fired it at Abra.

"Now, Abra!" Mark called, "Use your Hidden Power to counter that!"

"Raaaah." Creating some small blue orbs around him, Abra fired them at the approaching Thunder Shock, effectively dismantling the attack.

"Hidden Power?" Mike wondered aloud.

"It's an one-of-a-kind move," Nathalie explained, "Hidden Power can be a move of any type, but that type is predetermined at the birth of the Pokémon."

"So that move could have been of any type?" Mike cried.

"I'd guess so," Nathalie continued, "But judging by the color of it, I'd say it was either a Flying-, Water- or Ice-type move."

"We're far from done!" Trent announced, "Pikachu, use Thunder Wave, quick!"

"Pikaaaah!" Pikachu launched another jolt of electricity at Abra. This one seemed different from the previous one, however- it seemed much less powerful.

"Hah!" Mark shook his head. "I guess you never learn! Abra, Teleport!"

"Raaaaah." For the third time, Pikachu's attack missed its mark due to Abra's Teleport making the Psychic-type disappear and reappear.

"And now, follow up with a Hidden Power!" Mark commanded.

"Abbbraaaah." Reappearing right behind Pikachu, Abra once again created his small blue orbs and fired them at Pikachu from close by. The mouse Pokémon was hurled away, taking massive damage from the close-range attack in the process.

"This isn't looking too good for Trent," Nathalie said, "Abra can just keep dodging attacks with Teleport. If Pikachu could somehow get a clear shot in…"

A sweat drop rolled down Trent's chin. "Pikachu! Quick Attack, one more time!"

"Pikaaaah!" Although the Electric-type seemed to be starting to tire out from Abra's continuous attacks, its Quick Attack still seemed to be as powerful as ever.

Mark closed his eyes. "Abra, use Confusion."

"Raaaah." Abra's eyes gleamed blue. The same blue aura once again appeared around Pikachu, effectively stopped it in its tracks and lifting it up in the air.

"But how?" Tessa cried, "Quick Attack should have made it way too difficult for Abra to concentrate!"

Nathalie looked at Mark in surprise. "That Abra must be really focused. There's no other way it could have ever been able to stop Quick Attack otherwise."

Trent seemed to panic. "Pikachu, Thunder Shock! Roast that Abra!"

"Pikaaaah!" Pikachu did its best to fire a Thunder Shock, but couldn't focus too well due to Abra's Confusion. Abra merely had to take a step back to dodge the attack easily.

Mark grinned. "It's time to finish this! Abra! Send Pikachu straight down!"

"Raaaaaah." Abra moved its hand down, making Pikachu crash to the ground right in front of Abra. The Electric-type seemed to be hurt, badly.

"Time to finish this up!" Mark declared, "Abra, Hidden Power!"

"Abbraaah." The familiar blue orbs reappeared around Abra. Once more he launched them at Pikachu from close range. The mouse Pokémon was sent flying back, hitting one of the walls in the process.

"Pikachu!" Trent called worriedly.

"Pikaaaaaah…" Pikachu replied weakly, not making an attempt to get back up.

"Pikachu is unable to continue!" the referee announced, "The winner is Abra! That means that Mark Vaughun wins the qualification match!"

"Unbelievable…" Mike muttered.

"You can say that again," Tyler replied, "Pikachu didn't even manage to land a single hit on Abra."

"Well, it doesn't matter!" Tessa firmly stated, "Because I'm still gonna win this thing, and Mark's not going to stand in my way!"

"Arena ten, Mike Redwood and Elli Collins!" the speakers boomed. The voice sounded masculine- apparently Misty had taken a break.

"Speaking about winning." Mike grinned, taking out one of his Poké Balls. "Wish me luck, guys!"

"Just try to not embarrass yourself, will you?" Mike spun around. Standing behind him was Mark. "Of course I can't expect the same from your Pokémon as from Abra, though. That would be unreasonable."

"Oh yeah?" Mike wasn't in the mood to get riled up. Mark's speech just made his will to win even stronger. "I'll show you just what I can do!"

"Arena seven, Veronica Galeford and Tessa Wainwright!"

Tessa sighed. "Well, I guess that's that then. No spectating for me. Sasha?"

"R-right behind you!" Sasha responded.

"Alright!" Tessa winked and gave Mike a thumbs-up. "Good luck, and don't lose before we get to battle, alright?"

Mike returned the thumbs-up. "How could I ever?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Please. I'm eager to see whether your bite matches your bark, so get out there already. Entertain me."

"You're not being very supportive," Tyler noted as Mike entered the arena.

Mark shrugged. "Should I be? As much as I'd love to have the chance to beat up Mike myself, it won't be much fun if he turns out to be a weakling."

"For your information, he _does_ have a badge!" Nathalie snapped.

"Big deal. Everyone here has, and you know how much trouble the previous guy was." Mark crossed his arms. "Let's just see how this goes."

In the meantime, Mike's opponent had entered the arena as well. She was a rather short girl with long red hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a cherry red dress.

The referee looked from one trainer to another. "This will be a one-vs-one qualifier battle between Mike Redwood and Elli Collins! The match is over when one of the two Pokémon is unable to continue! Prepare your Pokémon now!"

Mike grinned, looking at his Poké Ball. He hardly had to put any thought in which Pokémon he'd choose to represent him first- it was the natural choice. On the other side, Elli seemed to have more trouble picking her Pokémon.

"Is everything all right?" the referee called out to the girl.

Elli was brusquely shaken out of her thoughts. "It's fine!" She seemed to be rather startled about being called out, quickly putting one of her two Poké Balls away.

The referee nodded. ""Trainers, send out your chosen Pokémon!"

"Okay then!" Mike grinned, "Let's go, Elekid!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried as he materialized on the field.

Tyler scratched his chin. "Interesting choice. Elekid is really great at battling Pokémon he's strong against, but covering his weaknesses…is not his forte, to say in the least."

Nathalie nodded. "I just hope he didn't make a big mistake by choosing Elekid."

His opponent, Elli, hardened her expression. "Let's go, Meowth!"

"Meeeoww!" In a flash, a feline, cream-colored Pokémon with brown patches on its fur appeared. Meowth yawned briefly, before taking on a battle stance against Elekid.

"Meowth, huh…" Mike muttered, checking his Pokédex.

" _Meowth, the scratch cat Pokémon. Meowth withdraws its sharp claws into its paws to slinkily sneak about without making any incriminating footsteps. For some reason, this Pokémon loves shiny coins that glitter with light."_

"Be careful, Mike!" Nathalie called, "Meowth can dish out powerful hits with its claws!"

Mike grinned in response. "No problem! Elekid's on the case!"

Tyler assessed the situation. "With the combination of Static and Quick Attack, Elekid should be able to be faster than that Meowth. And Meowth doesn't resist either of Elekid's moves."

Nathalie looked more worried. "I hope you're right."

"Both trainers ready?" The referee looked from Mike to Elli. Both gave a nod. "Then begin!"

"Let's kick this off, Elekid!" Mike called, "Use Thunder Shock!"

"Kidddd!" Elekid's antennae began sparkling when Elekid prepared his jolt of electricity.

"Dodge, quick!" Elli countered.

"Meeeoww!" Just before the Thunder Shock would have made contact, Meowth nimbly jumped back, landing gracefully on its four legs. It licked one of its front paws.

"Incredible!" Nathalie gasped, "That Meowth is really fast!"

"This one is something alright," Tyler nodded, "At this rate, Thunder Shock won't have any effect against Meowth at all."

"But if Mike can't use Thunder Shock…" Nathalie muttered.

"We're just fine!" Mike grinned, "Now, Elekid, Quick Attack!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid seemed to prepare himself for a split second, then dashed forwards at incredible speed.

"Now, Meowth!" Elli commanded, "Use your Double Team!"

"Meeoow!" Meowth closed its eyes, and suddenly multiple clones appeared around it. Elekid plunged through what he thought was Meowth, only to purposelessly destroy one of the clones.

"Now, Meowth!" Elli continued, "Use your Scratch!"

"Meeeeow!" Meowth's clones dissipated when it extended its claws. It moved much faster than Mike and Elekid anticipated- in nearly no time it had already clawed at Elekid's face and jumped back, out of the electric Pokémon's range.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid screeched in pain.

"Hang in there, Elekid!" Mike called. He gritted his teeth. Thunder Shock from afar had no effect since Meowth was quick enough to dodge that, and Quick Attack didn't work either due to Double Team! Their only chance was to get in close with Meowth, but how could Elekid do that if the Normal-type Pokémon always kept its distance after attacking? "Use Leer!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid nodded quickly. He stared at Meowth with a fierce glare on his face. Meowth's usual calm and composed behavior briefly disappeared as the scratch cat Pokémon ducked away to escape Elekid's gaze.

"Now Quick Attack!" Mike commanded.

"Kiddddd!" Elekid once again dashed forward at incredible speed.

"Meowth, use your Scratch to counter that attack!" Elli quickly ordered.

"Meeeoww!" Meowth extended its claws and prepared itself for a faceoff against Elekid's Quick Attack. When the two Normal-type attacks collided, both Pokémon were pushed back. However, Meowth already seemed more worn out than Elekid.

"That's it!" Tyler grinned, "That Meowth is trained to be really great offensively with awesome speed and strength, but its weakness is its durability! I bet if Mike and Elekid can get one more clear hit in…"

"But why didn't she just use Double Team to stop Quick Attack in its tracks?" Nathalie mused.

"Double Team isn't foolproof," Tyler explained, "You create multiple clones, but the chance that the opponent strikes you instead of one of the imposters is still there. Maybe she was afraid that Mike would hit her Meowth instead of Double Team? I dunno, really."

"Let's keep going, Elekid!" Mike grinned, "Quick Attack, one more time!"

"Eleeeee!" Elekid dashed at Meowth, aiming for the scratch cat Pokémon's chest.

"Dodge!" Mike heard Elli call to his surprise.

"Meeeeoww!" Meowth growled as it ducked. Right when Elekid was about to hit it with a full-body attack, Meowth jumped over Elekid, successfully dodging Quick Attack.

"Follow up with Bite!" Elli commanded.

"Meeeeoww!" Meowth sprang forwards, sinking its teeth into Elekid's shoulder briefly, before once more jumping out of range.

"Eleeee!" Elekid cried in pain. He clutched his left arm against his body, obviously hurt by the Bite.

"Seems like Lady Luck isn't on Mike's side," Tyler noted, "Static just doesn't want to activate."

"But if this keeps up, Elekid will get worn out before Meowth does!" Nathalie protested.

Tyler nodded. "Yup. So we gotta hope that Mike has a backup plan."

"Leer, once more!" Mike called.

"Eleeeee!" Elekid once again took up his battle stance, giving Meowth a fierce glare.

"Meeeeoww!" Meowth once again ducked, but this time it didn't seem ready to dodge an attack.

"Now, Meowth!" Elli yelled, "Use your Double Team!"

"Meeeoww!" Multiple clones appeared around Meowth once again. Elekid looked at the five Meowth in front of him, wondering which was the real one.

"Why'd she use Double Team now?" Nathalie wondered, "Mike hadn't even called an attack yet!"

"Because of Leer, no doubt," Tyler explained, "If Meowth got caught off-guard, it would mean trouble for Elli."

"Elekid, use Thunder Shock to find the real Meowth!" Mike ordered.

"Eleeee!" Elekid nodded as he fired a jolt of electricity at one of the Meowth. When the Thunder Shock went right through it, Mike and Elekid realized that they had picked the wrong target.

"Don't stop, Elekid!" Mike clenched his fists. "Hit the one on the far right with Thunder Shock, go!"

"Kidddd!" Elekid suddenly spread his arms, creating small star-shaped projectiles. He fired them at the Meowth on the far right, but they suddenly changed direction to target the second Meowth on the left.

"Oh no!" Elli cried, "Meowth, dodge!"

"Meeeoww!" Meowth jumped away, making all of the clones disappear, but to no avail. The stars -which had indeed chosen the right target to attack- still followed the scratch cat Pokémon around until the attack was successfully executed.

"What kind of attack is that?" Nathalie gasped.

Tyler grinned. "Seems like Elekid just learned the perfect move for this situation! Swift is a move that is very hard to dodge. As Meowth just demonstrated, even Double Team is no match for it!"

"Now, Elekid!" Mike called to his electric Pokémon as he noticed that Meowth was dazed from Swift, "Thunder Shock, full power!"

"Kiddddd!" Elekid's antennae gave off sparks when he launched what was hopefully -for Mike- the last attack of the match.

"Meeeeeeooooooowwww!" Meowth screeched when the Electric-type attack made contact. The Normal-type Pokémon collapsed to the ground, not making any further attempt to get up. "Meeeoowww…"

The referee nodded. "Meowth is unable to continue! The winner is Elekid! That means that Mike Redwood wins the qualification match!"

Mike grinned happily. "You did it, Elekid!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid happily hugged his trainer.

"Phew," Nathalie sighed, "That was a close one. I almost thought Meowth's speed would be too much for Elekid."

"Lucky break." Nathalie and Tyler turned towards the voice. Mark had apparently stuck around to watch Mike's match. "If Elekid hadn't learned Swift on the spot, it would have been over for him already. It's not him that pulled through- it's Elekid."

"Who cares, we're going to the next round!" Mike happily chimed in, joining the group together with Elekid. The Electric-type Pokémon seemed tired. He had some small cuts on his body because of Scratch, and bite marks on his left shoulder.

"Sheer luck." Mark shrugged. "But that's okay. At least it means I get to put you in your place as soon as we get to battle." He raised a hand, walking away through the crowd. "Later."

* * *

 **And so, the Rookie Tournament has started! So you know what to expect for the next two or three chapters- the Nugget Bridge Tournament is far from done! Also participating are his rivals Tessa and Mark. Who knows- maybe Mike will eventually be pitted against either one of them?**

 **Next chapter, we'll see Mike fight his way through the second qualifiers...and who knows what more?**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read through this chapter of 'Pokémon - Kanto Journey', and have a good day!**

* * *

Mike's team:

Elekid  
\- Male  
\- Electric-type  
\- Static  
\- Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack, Swift

Butterfree  
\- Female  
\- Bug/Flying-type  
\- Compound Eyes  
\- Tackle, Sleep Powder, Confusion, Gust

Sandshrew  
\- Male  
\- Ground-type  
\- Sand Rush  
\- Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch, Poison Sting

Tyrogue  
\- Male  
\- Fighting-type  
\- Vital Spirit  
\- Tackle, Foresight, Mach Punch (in progress)

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur  
\- Male  
\- Grass/Poison-type  
\- Overgrow  
\- Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle

Tyler's team:

Cubone  
\- Female  
\- Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang

Geodude  
\- Male  
\- Rock/Ground-type  
\- Rock Head  
\- Tackle, Rollout, Defense Curl, Rock Throw


End file.
